Zonta Club of Cebu II initiates a webinar on women and leadership

Zonta clubs worldwide are starting the changeover to a new set of officers and board of directors for the next biennium. In preparation, the Zonta Club of Cebu II, Philippines, deemed it critical to organize a Leadership Development webinar to achieve a successful and seamless leadership transition. The webinar, “Beyond the Glass Ceiling: A Conversation on Women and Leadership,” took place on 23 April on Zoom. The webinar was open to club members, partners, beneficiaries, and other community organizations.

The club had the privilege to invite attorney Myrish Cadapan Antonio, a senior director for the Fellows and Global Initiatives at the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as the resource speaker. Myrish attended Silliman University, George Washington University Law School and Harvard Kennedy School. She has extensive experience in leadership development programs centered on principled, effective public leadership and women in leadership positions.

The webinar focused on contextual barriers that Filipino women face that limit their ability to lead, why their leadership matters and how women can claim their rightful seat at the table. The discussion highlighted how inequality between men and women influences attitudes and assumptions regarding women’s career paths and advancement opportunities. Myrish presented practical tips and techniques that the participants could use to change the patriarchal gender norms that political leaders hold. 

The club believes that business executives, corporate boards, academic institutions and civil society/community groups will, in the long run, create space for women and girls to participate in leadership positions actively.