DOST-NCR Holds Webinar Series on Gender and Development in Line with the Women’s Month Celebration

DOST-NCR conducted a webinar series on gender and development as part of the Women’s Month Celebration, held every Thursday of March starting from March 10, 2022, via Zoom.

Participated by community partners, local government units, industry players, and academic institutions, the webinars tackled “Gender and Development (GAD) Issues in the Workplace”, “Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Single Parents”, and “Support and Care for Teenage Pregnancy.”

Gender and Development Issues in the Workplace
Resource person, Ms. Maria Fe B. Singson from the DOST-GAD Regional Support Service discussed the dominating gender and development issues in the workplace held on March 10, 2022.

Gender mainstreaming, gender equality, women empowerment, and basic gender-related concepts were tackled. She also mentioned how social institutions contribute to perceptions and “normalization” of gender issues and biases.

Ms. Singson also discussed the difference between sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, and the overarching concepts on these aspects. These, according to Ms. Singson, are important to our GAD work and advocacy as providers of public service.

COVID-19 and Mental Health of Single Parents
Since 2020, the global pandemic caused surfaced struggles in both physical and mental aspects of humanity. Single parents, specially, mothers at that, needed attention and support to cope and keep their heads up during the health crisis.

Such topic was discussed by Professor Michael U. Jimenez, Trainer from Department of Health Region III on March 17, 2022. He identified the struggles of single parents such as financial expenses, work overload, loneliness, helplessness, and hopelessness, as well as lack of identity and lack of confidence. He also identified discrimination and negative perceptions on single parenthood as causing mental and emotional anxiety.

Prof. Jimenez then provided practical recommendations to hurdle these challenges. To end the webinar, Ms. Geraldine A. Estacio, Owner of DJM Grandeur Corp., National Winner of 2020 Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) PRAISE Award, and a single mom, shared her personal and professional journey towards becoming a successful entrepreneur amidst challenges of single parenthood.

Teenage Pregnancy: Stories of Pregnant and Teenage Mothers
Teenage mothers have different meanings and essences of “teenage pregnancy”. Such was shared by Sociology Professor, Dr. Gloria Luz M. Nelson, during her online webinar on Support and Care for Teenage Pregnancy: Stories of Pregnant and Teenage Mothers held on March 24, 2022 spearheaded by the DOST-NCR as part of its celebration of the National Womens Month.

Dr. Nelson shared the results of her study conducted with teenage mothers aged 13 to 19 years old who got pregnant during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also shared recommendations to help address the increasing number of teenage mothers in the country, mentioning that a collective action among government and private organizations is needed to address this concern.

Dr. Nelson also tackled the basic support and care policies for teenage mothers, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 10354 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.

To cap off the webinar series, the DOST-NCR, DOST-CALABARZON, DOST-MIMAROPA, and DOST-V also held a campaign webinar on March 30, 2022 featuring Women in Research. This featured stories of women researchers and scientists and how they can help in nation building through research and development.

By: Bianca Claudette R. Canlas, SCCU