Driving Equity Forward: Stakeholders Gather for Solutions Lab on Gender-Responsive E-Mobility

Held at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Pasig City, the session gathered women government representatives, development practitioners, researchers, students, and industry stakeholders to examine how the transition to e-mobility can also become a pathway toward greater gender equality. 

Opening the session, BOI Executive Director for Industry Development Service (IDS) Ma. Corazon H. Dichosa emphasized that the automotive industry has long been shaped by gender stereotypes that often confine women to administrative or support roles. She noted that the transition to e-mobility presents an opportunity not only to modernize transport systems, but also to rethink who gets to participate in and benefit from them. 

“At our office, the Board of Investments, we recognize that it is not enough to simply acknowledge the value of women. We must actively invest in this commitment by making capacity building accessible to them, creating structures that support their professional growth, and pushing for policies that guarantee their protection and ensure equity. Our work with the e-mobility ASAP Project has solidified our vision, i.e., in our pursuit of accelerating the transition to electric mobility, the social aspect of our work and the empowerment of women must remain at the center. This is a recognition that women are not just passengers in this journey, but the primary drivers of change. By breaking boundaries, we are not just advancing an industry - we are redefining what is possible. We are proving that when we move forward together, nothing can slow us down.” 

The discussion then turned toward workforce readiness and representation. Ms. Bianca Cipriano, researcher for the e-mobility ASAP Project, presented findings from consultations and baseline research conducted under the project, highlighting that women account for less than four percent of qualified individuals in relevant technical training programs based on data from the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Participants also heard how cultural expectations, caregiving responsibilities, limited access to technical training, workplace safety concerns, and gender-blind policies continue to restrict women’s participation in the sector.  

“While women are very much willing and capable to go into the workforce, it cannot be understated that they also have an amount of childcare that they are expected to do. These things are systemic, and one of the key challenges identified in this baseline research.” 

To address these gaps, the e-mobility ASAP Project is working on initiatives such as micro-credentialing and upskilling courses for industry workers, accreditation of training providers, and the establishment of a Women’s Network aimed at fostering mentorship, collaboration, and professional growth within the industry. 

Providing broader context on gender transformation in transport, the session’s resource speaker, gender specialist Michael Pastor, challenged participants to look beyond compliance-driven approaches to gender and development. While many programs focus on participation numbers, Mx. Pastor stressed that true inclusion must also examine whether women are able to remain safe, supported, and meaningfully engaged in the sector over time. His lecture emphasized the role of men as key allies and the importance of true structural change. 

"If gender transformation is our goal, we must go beyond making workplaces merely gender-responsive in recruitment and participation. We need to redesign jobs, institutions, and systems that are grounded in unequal gender norms. Otherwise, we may change perceptions and attitudes about gender while remaining stuck with the same structural problems, even if we meet targets and representation goals. We must continually ask: what are the long-term outcomes and impacts we want to achieve? If we do not transform the system itself, we are simply modernizing the inequalities we already experience."

Participants later broke into workshop groups to identify practical and policy-level solutions at the short-term and long-term for operationalizing gender-responsive e-mobility. Discussions covered a wide range of issues, from safer transport infrastructure and improved pedestrian facilities to workplace gender sensitivity, mentorship opportunities, daycare facilities, advocacy campaigns, and stronger policies on inclusivity and anti-discrimination.

Several groups also highlighted the importance of increasing women’s representation in leadership and decision-making roles, while strengthening partnerships between government agencies, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders to institutionalize long-term change. 

During the synthesis and closing remarks, Clean Air Asia Deputy Executive Director Glynda Bathan-Baterina reflected on the recurring themes raised throughout the workshop. She noted that while participation metrics remain important, stakeholders must also evaluate whether interventions are creating meaningful behavioral and systemic change. 

“Real transformation means we need to change infrastructure to be safer for women, and to provide secure employment pathways for them. As our resource speaker emphasized, ‘incentives must reduce risk and not just provide opportunity.’ There is much to learn about gender responsive approaches, and this session is deepening our knowledge of approaches we can take — especially in the transport sector.”

The session ultimately reinforced a shared message among participants: the transition to e-mobility cannot focus solely on technology and infrastructure. Building a truly sustainable transport sector also requires creating systems where women can participate safely, equitably, and meaningfully at every level of the sector. 

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The activity was conducted under the Accelerating the Adoption and Scale-up of Electric Mobility for Low-Carbon City Development in the Philippines, or the e-mobility ASAP Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Board of Investments (BOI), and executed by Clean Air Asia with its consortium partners De La Salle University (DLSU), Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), and Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI).