Beta Testing Equality

   

    Why does it still feel like gender equality is a feature society is hesitant to fully install? Every year, we celebrate Women’s Month, chanting the same promises of inclusivity and fairness. This year’s theme, “WE for Gender Equality and an Inclusive Society,” is another reminder of what we’re striving for, but how much longer do we have to keep striving? Equality shouldn’t be something we’re testing out; it should have been built into the system from the very start. And yet, women and marginalized genders are still fighting for rights that should never have been in question.

Yet, here we are, still waiting. Women hold only 27.3% of parliamentary seats, and their labor force participation lags behind men’s, 50.4% compared to 72.7%. But numbers don’t tell the full story. It’s in the way women are applauded for being strong but expected to stay quiet. It’s in the way their achievements are celebrated, yet their ambitions are questioned. Inclusion isn’t just about opening doors, it’s about breaking the locks that kept them shut in the first place.

So, when do we stop treating equality like a goal we might reach someday? The idea that change takes time? That we’re "getting there"? We can’t keep waiting for equality to arrive like a delayed update. Progress doesn’t happen by accident, it happens because people demand it. If equality is still in "beta," then it’s time to take control and launch it ourselves.

References:

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World Bank. (n.d.). Philippines - Gender data portal. Gender Data Portal. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/economies/philippines

The Scapegoat. (2024, May). Untitled image. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://thescapegoat.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/unnamed-1024x1024.jpg

Udemy. (n.d.). Course image. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://img-c.udemycdn.com/course/750x422/4393944_5648_2.jpg