Despite ranking 19th out of 146 countries in the 2022 Global Gender Gap Index for gender parity, Filipino women still face many challenges in the workforce.
For one, women’s participation in the workforce remains surprisingly low.
According to the Philippine Statistics Agency’s (PSA) 2022 fact sheet, women’s labor force participation rate is only 34.5%.
Furthermore, according to the National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA), stereotyped gender roles remain prevalent, relegating women to domestic and reproductive roles.
Because of these, many women are shifting to work from home jobs for better opportunities.
One positive benefit of an online work from home setup is increased workplace diversity.
Aside from women, many Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and Seniors found new opportunities working in remote jobs.
To honor International Women’s Month, here are just a few of the ways remote work empowers women in the workforce.
Provides Increased Flexibility
One of the most common hurdles for women in growing their careers is balancing work and family.
Traditionally, women are responsible for childcare and managing the household, something they can’t easily do if they have to report to an office.
However, this isn’t a problem in remote work.
One way remote work empowers women is it provides them with control over their schedules and where they can work – enabling stay-at-home moms to earn a living while raising a family.
Opens Up More Job Opportunities
Before remote work, job opportunities for women were limited to their immediate vicinity due to family or geographic constraints.
Remote work breaks this barrier by enabling women to apply for jobs relevant to their skills worldwide.
Apps like Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype enable women to collaborate with their boss and co-workers across the globe and expand their network in the process.
Reduces Gender Bias and Discrimination
Women have traditionally faced plenty of discrimination in the workplace.
Aside from limited job and career advancement opportunities, they also earn 16% less than their male counterparts on average.
Fortunately, gender is no object in remote work.
Here, the quality of your work matters more than your gender or physical appearance. Remote work reduces the impact of unconscious biases and improves gender equality in the workplace.
Take a look at the tech industry, for example.
Thanks to the growing popularity of remote work, women occupy one-third of computing roles in this once male-dominated industry.
Additionally, remote work’s location flexibility and emphasis on output and talent rather than hours spent at work can help rapidly close the gender pay gap.
Better Access to Professional Development and Learning Opportunities
Another way remote work empowers women is it gives them more opportunities to grow their skills and network.
Up until recently, most career development opportunities for women were limited to urban areas or limited numbers of mentors.
With remote work, women can access online courses and webinars from anywhere to help hone their skills or learn new ones.
Aside from these, they can also join virtual communities and conferences worldwide to further expand their network and find new job opportunities.
Better Physical and Mental Health
One of the main downsides of working in an office in the Philippines is the torturous commute.
Besides avoiding the early morning rush, many women wake up early to prepare their family’s breakfast. Thus, they’re already too exhausted upon arriving in the office.
Fortunately, you can say goodbye to these hassles in an online work from home setup.
Here, you can save precious time each day, which you can use for rest or to spend more quality time with your family.
For example, you can use the extra time to add exercise to your daily routine, helping you avoid the health risks that come with a sedentary lifestyle.
Women Can Do It Too!
Historically, women struggled to find equal footing alongside their male counterparts in the workplace.
Fortunately, this has changed for the better in recent years, partly due to the popularity of work from home jobs.
As the above points show, thanks to remote work, women are slowly closing the gender gap and paving the way for a more inclusive workplace.
Want to start working online but don’t know where to start looking for work from home jobs?
Don’t worry. Remote Staff is here to help.
Our jobs list contains plenty of positions for you to choose from. These range from online transcription jobs to online design jobs and anything in between.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up here. Good luck, and Happy International Women’s Month!
