Opportunity. It was the accidental theme of Connected Women’s last Community Forum, which was held in collaboration with Facebook’s She Means Business. The event was part of a series of talks discussing the current digital economy and the crucial role women played in it.

While the pandemic has forced the acceleration of digital technology into the lives of Filipinos, not everyone has been allowed to utilize it. Digital inclusion has become a necessity in today’s society yet around 3.9 million Filipinos  are still offline—and most of them are women in rural areas.

“The advancement of technology means we don’t have to leave our homes to find opportunity,” said Connected Women co-founder and CEO Gina Romero. “We are so fortunate to live in a time when it is possible to build a global business from our kitchen table.”

Theoretically, you could build an empire without leaving the walls of your home. In reality, far-flung areas in the Philippines where opportunity is needed the most are plagued with wonky internet and the lack of technical know-how. But concerted efforts from organizations like Connected Women and Facebook’s She Means Business as well as the Department of Trade and Industry continue to bring opportunities closer to Filipino women.

Seize the chance

During the segment moderated by Facebook Philippines and Vietnam Country Marketing Manager Andrea Mapa about supporting female-led MSMEs in the digital economy, panellist Jonar Dorado offered invaluable advice. “Get connected,” he said. “We need to build our network. We need to connect with the support that’s needed. If you need access to financing or access to connectivity…there is so much support from government agencies to private groups to co-ops. They are readily available. You just need to look for them.”

Dorado is the Chief Operating Officer of RAFI MicroFinance Inc., which empowers micro-entrepreneurs to elevate their lives by providing comprehensive financial and non-financial services to poor and rural women. Currently, RAFI has over 500,000 clients involved in small businesses. Ninety percent of them are women.

DTI Undersecretary for the Competitiveness and Innovation Group, Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba, who noted the one-sided impact against women during the pandemic, said a similar statement: “Only when we are surrounded by the right collaborators can we unleash our full potential.”

The second panel, moderated by Atty Monalisa Dimalanta, CEO and Founder of UNAWA Asia, discussed real life challenges faced by women MSMEs.

Panelist Eunice Joy Gambalan, Managing Director of House of J, underpinned the importance of getting the support she needed to move her business forward, especially during the pandemic. She also shared how Connected Women helped her grow her network of local artisans and develop entrepreneurial skills.

For Sparq Communications Founder Ayesha Kohli, the first hurdle that blinds women from their opportunities is their mindset—the what-ifs, the fear, the hesitations. She recalled a piece of advice someone offered her when she resigned from her multinational corporate job to allow herself more flexibility with raising her family.

“When you give birth to a child, do you say that the child is going to live? No, you assume that the child is going to live and you do your very, very best to make it thrive,” she shared. The metaphor is especially resounding among women whose domestic responsibilities were compounded during the pandemic.

Emphasizing sustainability

In offering support to women in rural areas and MSMEs, sustainability must be a priority.

Klarissa Lasala, who works as an Impact and Finance Officer for Advancement for Rural Kids (ARK), said that they have already improved 10,000 lives in 19 months. However, they designed their program, which aims to help the poverty-stricken population in provinces, for families to pull themselves out of their situation.

“We are teaching women to do online selling. We host workshops for our field managers and barangay leaders. We share free books and instruction manuals so they have access to different solutions and they can execute them on their own, Lasala explained.

Dorado also reminded anyone participating in the digital economy to learn to recalibrate themselves constantly. “Learning is the key. No one solution fits every woman entrepreneur.” RAFI underscores the need for social protection for female MSME’s by giving them access to technology and teaching them to use it so they can pivot to the current circumstances.

Amid all these prospects and potential, Sylvia Paraguya, CEO of the National Confederation of Cooperatives, offered a practical perspective. “We need to guide women to find balance. They need to be supported [for example] by their husbands. Otherwise, we end up with more overburdened women.”

She also believes that the country’s rural and agricultural areas are the ideal venue to reboot the economy. “At the time of COVID-19, these areas are safer.”

Female-led

Creating a safe avenue for women to feel free enough to formulate and develop their ideas is crucial to women taking up their well-deserved chunk of space in the digital economy. “They need to feel empowered to transform these ideas into actual businesses that will contribute to job creation. They also need to feel connected in a safe and collaborative atmosphere with other women and the rest of society,” said Aldaba.

While the rest of the world stopped when the pandemic hit, women have soldiered on. For example, in the last two years, two-thirds of businesses in Lazada are now run or owned by females. It is a 60% increase since pre-pandemic times.

Philippine Commission on Women Commissioner Sandy Montano believes as much. “The obstacles brought by the pandemic did not hinder us to continue empowering women,” she said, adding that female empowerment goes beyond gender equality. It benefits the community and unleashes the potential of women in different fields.

“We should stop looking back at our former lives. We are in the new normal. Supporting rural and women-led MSMEs contributes to the economic recovery, expanding their opportunities. It leads to a better society and also a better economy,” Montano said.

Access to technology, work-life balance? There will continue to be barriers as women become more participative in the digital economy. These hurdles, however, are steppingstones to bigger and better opportunities for Filipinas in the 21st century.