Challenging Taboo

Beginning in 2004, The Chambers Federation expanded to the northern Luzon region of the Philippines. The Company’s goals were to set up a satellite office to not only support the main offices in the United States but to explore new business opportunities in southeast Asia.  Starting with just one employee, the company quickly expanded to its own building, employing dozens of women. The Company saw that women were facing significant cultural pressure past the age of 25 years. Locally it was taboo for women past the age of 25 to be employed as it was their “responsibility” to be at home, married and raising children. This often lead to woman to be unemployed yet they were not only an educated but a trained workforce that was simply not appreciated. The Chambers Federation sought to change this taboo by challenging the local community and accepting those woman into our offices. Many of the original women that came to our offices still work with the company nearly ten years later. Some have become the principle “bread winners” for their family and have been able to successfully balance their work and home lives. The Company further extended its support of these families by creating a “work at home” program where woman, especially after giving birth, could still retain their salaries yet be able to stay at home to both work and take care of their families at the same time. These models have proven to be a great success to the Company and has only increased the Company’s interest in empowering women.