Do we still need Women’s Month?

March is National Women’s Month. Only March? Is it not funny that we treat women like a minority when we are half of the population?

Sometimes you wonder why there needs to be a month to celebrate women rather than celebrating their successes every day. I am quite ambivalent about this because I know we need awareness about gender issues whilst being torn that the idea should have been ingrained in everyone by now.

But there are also women who could not care less about discussions on diversity and inclusion. They believe everything must be earned and that positions of leadership for women should be “on merit” and not because of compliance with some law that requires diversity. These women can sometimes be the very barriers to other women who wish to rise up and be counted.

I also cannot believe that there are “gender bashers” or those who think men are marginalized. What we need is to read more, listen more and understand more. Some men also put labels or tag strong-willed women as feminists or men haters.

But there is a positive side. We do have male champions who are secure enough and are not emasculated by women leading them or doing most of the work.

Who are these male champions?Some are husbands or mates of bread winners, or strong women who lead yet are sweet partners when they come home. There also now is a new category of “housebands” or partners who stay home to take care of the kids while the woman works. These days, however, both parents may be working from home and probably already share house duties.

Some are board members who are happy to see a woman doing all the nitty gritty details as president. Some are family directors who were born into the role as shareholder directors or trustees, and accept and respect the female members of the family who take the lead.

Some are simply enlightened males who choose to read, understand and advocate for gender diversity and inclusion. I guess we also magnetize and are attracted to boards and companies and even industries where gender will not be a deterrent to success. Or traditionally male-dominated industries that now open up to diversity.

Did you know that TESDA Women’s Center now encourages women to train in non-traditional jobs or careers? Yes, the TWC even teaches women to take up what used to be only “male territory.” TWC now teaches plumbing, painting, welding and the like. These jobs pay more and women should not be prevented from making it their career.

There are now also more women engineers and architects. There should not be a distinction between male jobs and female jobs if society looked at jobs with a gender lens. With technology, for example, car repair is now digital and computerized that women can operate most machines. And service managers, in a stakeholder survey we conducted, like women as workers for their attention to detail.

Women now also can enter the world of technology where brain is used and brawn is not a disqualifier. Digital marketing, digital design, biotech are just some of the fields with future jobs for women.

I think it’s good to be celebrating National Women’s Month to focus on new jobs available to women rather than the traditional “female” jobs like secretary or office clerk. Women can be what they want to be if society opens more jobs for everyone, regardless of gender.

From rank and file to the board room, women have shown their ability to fill in what the job entails. And diversity in the workplace to the board room should be observed, advocated and promoted.

So do we still need a Women’s Month? I think we still do until such time that it’s in the DNA of every male – and female – to think of equality and equity.

But as we go along let’s also think of the wins and the progress we are making in having women on boards and women representation in public companies. Thanks to women organizations and enlightened business organizations like the Management Association of the Philippines where women are now included in the list of governors, unlike in past decades.

So maybe this March, all of us should look into our companies, check our workforce, our management and our boards. Maybe it may as well be called “National Women Awareness Month” or “National Month for Diversity and Inclusion.” To simplify though we may as well just stick to National Women’s Month, but make sure we observe what it truly wants to achieve – that women are recognized as the other half that deserves equal if not more pay and equal if not more rights.

So for everyone else who’s still learning about diversity, get a checklist and test your company. And to those who have been enlightened, congratulations. Diversity is indeed the key to success!

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Chit Juan is immediate past chair of the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) and is a trustee at Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PHILWEN) and Women’s Business Council of the Philippines. (WomenbizPH).