Women in Symph are around 33% of the entire team, while we're not at the 50% ideal percentage, we strive to give equal opportunities to each and everyone in the team. We believe in diversity and inclusion, so everyone is empowered through our inverted org chart approach. Anyone can lead and initial projects as well as voice out their concerns, challenges, ideas and opinions.
For International Women's month, we'll be featuring the inspiring women behind Symph. Here is what our Project Managers have to say about women empowerment, equality, and more!
What is women empowerment to you?
“Women empowerment is closely aligned to gender equality, a fundamental human right. It is promoting the essence of women as not merely child-bearers but individuals capable of making their own choices and asserting influence in society. In essence, women empowerment is necessary for elevating self-worth and addressing gender inequality.”
How can you voice out concerns, ideas, opinions especially in a male-dominated industry?
“In truth, women struggle with visibility in male-dominated industries. However, it is not virtually impossible to voice concerns, ideas, and opinions in the workplace. Thus, I find it necessary to avoid self-censoring to be able to say what I want to say more confidently and straightforwardly. Having to not think about being perfect drives me away from overthinking, avoiding second-guessing myself. In addition to this, I believe it is also vital to be prepared when addressing concerns.”
How have women in tech made a difference?
“I believe it's incredible that women have been involved in technology since the beginning. There's a long list of Womentechmakers, including Ada Augusta Lovelace, the first computer programmer, Grace Hopper, a scientist and mathematician who created the COBOL programming language, and Melanie Perkins, the creator of my favorite tool, Canva! When it comes to the technology we adore, an empowered woman was involved in the discovery in some way! I had no idea that actress Hedy Lamarr was a Wi-Fi pioneer! Including female executives and even female teammates not only encourages diversity and inclusion, but also introduces new ideas that can lead to higher financial returns and improvements in the future!”
Source: https://www.globalapptesting.com/blog/the-women-who-changed-the-tech-world
What is women empowerment to you?
“It is the ability to recognize your own worth as well as the worth of others. Women empowerment entails more than simply being represented. It's having a voice and being able to act on it. When it comes to bias and discrimination, studies show that even women do not advocate for other women; we must all work together to change this! If there’s a woman at the table, we should go out and bring more chairs in so that more women can be in the conversation.
I believe that we should encourage young girls to be themselves. Allow them to pursue their artistic interests if they so desire. Support them if they want to participate in sports. Start them young if they want to be in STEM so they can be more confident in themselves and discover more talents and skills. In case you want to develop your self-promotion skills, I suggest you join an #IamRemarkable session, if you’re interested, please ping me on Facebook. Cheers to all women pursuing their dreams, caring for their family, serving their community and loving their identities. May you never lose faith in yourself and believe that you can make a difference.”
Which woman do you look up to and why?
“I just recently became a mom, I look up to all the working moms out there. Luckily, my job and company allow me to be with my baby, especially during the pandemic. There are other working moms who had to sacrifice time with their children because their job requires them to show up in their offices. These moms also have to provide for their family while wanting to pursue their dreams and passion at the same time.
I’d like to specially mention two amazing women that I personally know and look up to:
- Hilary Overton, a mother, and founder of Glory Reborn. 3 kids and running a non-profit organization to help mothers and babies get proper, safe, and quality health care for prenatal, delivery, and post-natal care.
- Chelle Obligacion-Gray, an active community builder, a mother and now my colleague as a business development executive. She helps educate and encourage students, professionals, and especially women in tech and design.
Both are selfless individuals who continue to help out their respective communities, and at the same time loving mothers. They are always inspiring me to look beyond myself, and do for others.
How can you voice out concerns, ideas, opinions, especially in a male-dominated industry?
Speak more through your actions.
How can you help create safe spaces for women online, at work or in the community?
Protect them. Let them know that they are not alone. That if in any case that they feel unsafe, they can run to you.
What is women empowerment to you?
“Encouraging and supporting women to give them the freedom to become who they truly want to be in all aspects— career, education, social, etc. If it is something they want to do and we give them the support that they need and should have access to, I believe that is empowerment.”
Which woman do you look up to and why?
“Esther Perel— a psychotherapist I’ve recently been following is one that comes to mind. Her work revolving around the human need for both security and freedom in relationships was very intriguing to me. I admire her mainly for 3 things:
- The way she is able to make a connection and keep a crowd engaged with her eloquence and grace in the way she speaks.
- In her research, there have been a lot of stereotypes and biases towards how certain genders behave and I just love how she actively breaks and questions these biases for all.
- She has taught me how not to immediately look at things in black and white. In life, there are nuances and shades of gray that we must acknowledge and begin to have conversations for.
Which woman do you look up to and why?
“Especially after reading the book Becoming, I became deeply moved and inspired by Michelle Obama, who emerged as a strong advocate of gender equality and stood up against racial discrimination. At one point in her younger years, her college counselor remarked that she might not be Princeton school material and instead of being discouraged, she used it as a fuel to ignite her burning passion to rise up. As the first African-American first lady, she championed global contributions including the Me Too movement and Let Girls Learn initiative that streamed to more than 50 countries with pledges amounting to $600 million to enrich the lives of 62 million girls.”
What advice can you give to fellow women who are in the tech industry or will consider a career in tech?
“Being in tech, I really do hope that more women will consider having a career in this industry as I see that there will be endless opportunities and exponential growth. Possibly the only trade-off, especially for those who love personal interactions, is that most activities are not done face-to-face in the IT world. Yet, us ladies can thrive in this environment if we just put in mind and practice to always assume positive intent, a mindset set in Symph.”
What is women empowerment to you?
“Women empowerment entails creating a safe environment free of social and gender-based discrimination, where women can make their own decisions, freely contribute and showcase their potential, speak up for themselves, and never be a victim of injustice. Where men and women have equal opportunities, rights, and responsibilities. That a woman's role entails more than continually serving and working for males.”
Which woman do you look up to and why?
“Miriam Defensor-Santiago – Asia's Iron Lady. She personified female strength and demonstrated that women can be just as capable as men. Her achievements as a senator, lawyer, teacher, author, judge, wife, and mother were impressive, yet she remained grounded and committed to justice and equality. She greatly inspired me to strive for excellence, to be passionate about what I do, and to put my skills and talents to good use, such as assisting those in need.
Every single one of the women behind Symph is a big part of our identity. It has always been our priority to have an inclusive and safe environment where everyone in the team can contribute regardless of background or gender.
Interested to be part of the team? Join us!
