Lynn Pinugu

Co-founder, Mano Amiga Philippines and She Talks Asia

What are some of the biggest challenges faced by women in education?

Lynn Pinugu (LP): Globally, the majority of senior leadership positions in education are still held by men, even though the teaching workforce is made up mostly of women and there being more than enough female educators qualified to take on these roles. This mirrors the sad reality in other industries and highlights how even if there’s greater recognition of the need for female representation in senior positions, we have a long way to go in terms of achieving genuine equality.

In the Philippines, where women generally have better chances of advancement, I want to put the spotlight on unpaid labour that is mostly shouldered by women. When you look at causes of burnout among female teachers, they often cite how they are worn down from needing to go above and beyond to help students thrive in class, while also being tasked to carry out most of the caregiving duties and household chores at home.

So while our local female teachers have better access to opportunities compared to our neighbouring countries, they might not have the bandwidth to pursue them due to the disproportionate pressure or expectations related to fulfilling domestic work.

Do you feel that there is a glass ceiling in your field? If so, how can it be broken?

LP: On a surface level, women in the field are often pressured to be overqualified for a role before they feel confident about pursuing leadership roles. The culture can also be prohibitive at times in that educators are pressured to have certain credentials before they are taken seriously. Not all academic institutions are good at nurturing innovative voices or encouraging non-traditional paths among their faculty and staff either.

To overcome this, educators should be more outspoken about sharing their insights on how their school culture and policies could be more gender-responsive.

We also need more school leaders to advocate and invest in the leadership development of female talents.

Lastly, we need to acknowledge how unpaid labour impacts the ability of women to advance in the industry. We then need to come up with concrete policies and practices that better support them and make it easier for them to succeed.

What has been your proudest professional achievement?

LP: I was only in my early 20s without experience in education when we started Mano Amiga. Due to my non-traditional background, I was unafraid to question the why behind traditional policies and systems. I was also never pressured to follow them if there are more relevant and effective ways of doing things. This approach has enabled me to create a school culture that celebrates diversity and original thinking, which in turn, has translated into more innovative education approaches, despite our limited resources.

I am also quite proud of the peer coaching culture we’ve established in Mano Amiga, which makes it conducive for younger employees, many of which are women, to continuously grow and develop their strengths. As one teacher had shared with me before, the best thing for her about working in Mano Amiga is knowing and feeling that she has a voice.

Read more: 5 female trailblazers in typically male-dominated industries