I AM A COMMUNICATOR : Corporate Communication with a Gender Lens

July 29, 2021

Why is it important to have a gender lens in communications?

The third part out of the six #IAmWOMAN webinar series “I Am A Communicator” by WomenBizPH, DTI Philippines, Philippine Commission on Women and the EU-funded #WeEmpowerAsia programme of UN Women tackled this topic with distinguished speakers last July 29, 2021.

Dr. Karen de Asis, Chief Brand Strategist of MKS Marketing Consulting and keynote speaker of the session on ‘Inclusive Branding’,  asked why there are more people discussing inclusivity and diversity and what branding and corporate communications do with it. She pointed out that it was because of two generations — Millennials and Gen Z.  She said that “they are the greatest  trigger of social inclusiveness, which both fuels the economy with the purchasing power of their own as they enter the formal and informal sector.” She shared that both of the generations believe, espouse and influence people around them to say “no to being judgmental”.  They are seen as more open, tolerant, thoughtful, and socially responsible. As with branding, she shared that there are different layers of inclusiveness: 1) Diversity of relationship 2) Inclusiveness of diversity in gender 3) Diversity of physical and mental ability 4) Diversity of race and culture 5) Inclusivity of diversity of the marginalized and underrepresented 6) Safety with specific case studies from different brands through commercials. She believes that brands have the biggest potential to create awareness around the importance of addressing diversity in a positive way and building a culture of inclusiveness, with its sizable media budgets, cult, and potential followers. However, she thinks that “not all brands can be inclusive, as it requires sustained open-mindedness, transformational leadership and a deep-seated organizational culture that recognizes and embraces the value of diversity in and out.”

Leah Caringal, CEO of Greenbulb Communications, shared that both men and women have equal status in the practice of corporate communications, and what is important is their character and professionalism. She has also worked with women who broke the glass ceiling in their industry and as for Leah, she sees women as strong capable leaders and role models.  She also believes that when men and women work together, they can achieve much and the same goes with corporations that are gender-responsive in their CSRs.

Gina Romero, the CEO and Co-Founder of Connected Women learned in her journey that it was important to not assume that everyone understands Gender Equality.  Gina found it surprising when there were people who asked why she was only helping women.  Over time, she realized that it was a valid and sincere question. It has become her mission in raising awareness of women’s empowerment whenever she is invited to speaking engagements. She also asked the session’s audience to see for themselves how far gender stereotypes in media still need correction by searching for a boss and assistant stock photos on the internet.

Donna Lina, CEO of UBE Media,  shared that more women in the corporate sector mean more voices. She shared the importance of active representation and participation at various levels of their different organizations.  Donna shares that their business imparts the values and culture of equal opportunity organization by recognizing capabilities and merits. Donna also mentioned that there is room for improvement with representation since there are roles that are still not balanced.

Mylene Abiva, President of WomenBizPH presented the certificate and introduced  Monette Hamlin, Chair of WomenBizPh and moderator of the session.  Monette Hamlin urged everyone to be more mindful of communication and be more gender-sensitive because it could reinforce stereotypes or it can be used to challenge the status quo and help shape a more inclusive, diverse, and equal society. She closed the session with a powerful message,  “Let’s avoid using words and images that patronize, objectify, marginalize or depict women as victims. Instead, let’s begin by portraying women as agents of change, as leaders, as empowered human beings in positions of authority and power. At conferences and seminars that we organize, we make sure that the roster of speakers is diverse. We make sure that she is not just a moderator but a speaker as well. If all of us can do these things, we can look forward to Sheryl Sanberg’s prediction in the future that ‘there will be no female leaders but only leaders’, and that is true equality.”