In recent years, Filipinos believed that to provide for their families, working abroad would be their best option.

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However, we recognise that change is upon the Philippines. Stephanie Sy traveled to the USA to study and eventually work at Google until her parents called her back not long after her perspective-changing, international move.

What would you do as the eldest child of a Chinese-Filipino family, who is tasting the most independence she’s likely ever experienced? Would you refuse? After all, you are working for one of the most innovative online technology platforms. Or would you go home?

Stephanie Sy ultimately decided she would go home because she wanted to honour her parents, but also because she saw opportunity in the Philippines. She saw the country as a place to return to that could one day boast of quality businesses equal to those in America and beyond.

The tides are changing; Filipino millennials and upcoming generations are actively seeking change in the Philippines, and recognise that the country has so much to offer.

We watched Stephanie speak at a panel with two other successful women at the Inspiring Women In STEAM With A SPACE Manila And BPW Makati event.

Hosted at A Space Manila, Camille Escudero, President of the Business and Professional Women Makati opened the session featuring three women in the field of STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The speakers included Stephanie Sy as founder and CEO of Thinking Machines Data Science; Reinabelle Reyes Ph.D., a Filipina scientist, writer, teacher, and public speaker; and Sher Bautista, a freelance screenwriter and filmmaker for film and TV. The talk was moderated by BPW founding trustee, communications strategist and creative entrepreneur, Niña Terol.

Gender Equality In The Philippines

Stephanie shared that while staying in the USA might have been better for her as an individual, the move back to the Philippines has had more impact in an entrepreneurial way, in growth and opportunities for herself and others.

However, while Stephanie has overcome many barriers and biases, there is still a gap between women and men in the tech industry. Stephanie noted, “Race, age, and gender discrimination are real issues in Silicon Valley. Gender equality is something I think the Philippines does better than the Bay Area, even in the tech industry.” She added, “As we get further into our careers, my women friends in the Bay Area are hitting the glass ceiling as they try to move from being managers or software team leads into senior management roles. A lot of it is unspoken discrimination, unfortunately.”

She further expressed her belief that the Philippines is indeed a country of opportunity. “I want to build my company as a Filipino company; I want us as a whole to move from being BPO-based into that next stage up the value chain, and that’s something I feel strongly about. You can be a Filipino company that competes on the same level as companies in San Francisco, New York, and so on.”

As a Filipino, what are you doing to break barriers? How do you think the country should band together to progress the nation and its quality and credibility?

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