E-Mobility Women's Consultation Group Photo

Advancing women’s participation in the transition to e-mobility in the Philippines: Five key insights from consulting women in the sector


How do we strengthen women’s engagement in electric mobility and ensure that they can access meaningful opportunities in the sector?  

This question guided Clean Air Asia’s consultation through the e-mobility ASAP Project in March 2026, which formed part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to build and establish the “Women in E-Mobility Network in the Philippines.” This platform envisioned to support women’s access to training, certification, employment, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and leadership opportunities in the country’s growing e-mobility ecosystem.  

Photo 1: Arlina Saw, General Manager of South Metro Transport Cooperative, shares her experiences as a woman in e-mobility. The Women’s ‘Kapihan’ was structured to encourage open sharing and discussions on strengthening women participation in the e-mobility industry.
Photo 1: Arlina Saw, General Manager of South Metro Transport Cooperative, shares her experiences as a woman in e-mobility. The Women’s ‘Kapihan’ was structured to encourage open sharing and discussions on strengthening women participation in the e-mobility industry. 

 

Intentionally structured as a ‘Kapihan’ — an open discussion over coffee in a relaxed and intimate setting — the women’s consultation brought together representatives from multiple sectors to explore how the Women in E-Mobility Network can be structured to help women at the grassroots level gain access to training, certification, and employment opportunities in e-mobility, ensuring that the shift toward sustainable transport creates meaningful opportunities for women. 

In the Philippines, women remain underrepresented across the transport workforce, particularly in technical and operational roles. Many at the grassroots level still face barriers to training, mentorship, and employment opportunities. Data from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the Philippines shows that women accounted for only 26% of enrollees in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs in 2024. This gap matters because technical and vocational pathways are key entry points into emerging sectors such as electric vehicle maintenance, charging infrastructure, fleet operations, manufacturing, services, and transport-related entrepreneurship.  

Existing networks and industry discussions have played an important role in advancing high-level advocacy for gender inclusion in the transport sector. Building on these efforts, participants also highlighted the importance of complementing these with pathways for women in TVET institutions, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME), transport communities, and local communities who are seeking to enter the e-mobility sector. The consultation was held in recognition of these gaps. 

Photo 2: The roundtable setting of the kapihan provided an enabling, intimate environment for participants to discuss and engage with one another.
Photo 2: The roundtable setting of the kapihan provided an enabling, intimate environment for participants to discuss and engage with one another. 

Across discussions through three breakout groups, several clear themes emerged that ranged from skills development and representation, to structural barriers and the importance of collaboration across sectors, institutions, and gender.  

Photo 3: Carla Buencamino, Head of Mobility Infrastructure at ACMobility, also shares her experiences and perspectives as a woman in e-mobility.
Photo 3: Carla Buencamino, Head of Mobility Infrastructure at ACMobility, also shares her experiences and perspectives as a woman in e-mobility.  ​
​​​​

Clearer Pathways into E-Mobility 

A recurring insight from participants was the need to make e-mobility careers more visible, appealing, and accessible to women.  

Stakeholders emphasized that many women still do not see themselves represented in technical or transport-related professions, making targeted information and education campaigns critical. 

Participants highlighted the need to promote e-mobility careers through storytelling and visibility campaigns that showcase women already thriving in the field, while strengthening technical and vocational pathways through partnerships with institutions such as the TESDA Women’s Center. Discussions also underscored the importance of creating scholarship opportunities and women-focused micro-credential programs, alongside highlighting tangible employment and entrepreneurship opportunities that demonstrate the sector's long-term career potential. 

Rather than focusing solely on introductory electric vehicle (EV) awareness, participants stressed the importance of practical, career-oriented training that will lead to tangible outcomes. Capacity-building efforts must be linked with actual demand from employers, cooperatives, service providers, and other stakeholders in the e-mobility ecosystem. 

 

Photo 4: Breakout group 1 during their discussion. Participants were split into three (3) breakout groups to share insights on advancing women’s participation in the transition to e-mobility in the Philippines.
Photo 4: Breakout group 1 during their discussion. Participants were split into three (3) breakout groups to share insights on advancing women’s participation in the transition to e-mobility in the Philippines. 

 

Structural and Cultural Barriers Remain a Major Challenge 

The consultation underscored that women continue to face deeply rooted gender stereotypes in technical industries, with participants noting that e-mobility and transport are still widely perceived as "male spaces." These perceptions can limit women's confidence, participation, and opportunities for advancement.  

Beyond workplace culture, participants also pointed to structural barriers that hinder women's participation, including unequal caregiving and domestic responsibilities, complex bureaucratic processes for securing the documents and certifications needed to enter the workforce, and limited access to support systems that enable sustained participation.  

Discussions emphasized that improving women’s participation in e-mobility will require broader institutional and cultural change beyond offering training programs. Training must be supported by an enabling environment that considers women’s time, mobility, family responsibilities, and access to networks. 

Participants also stressed that gender-responsive approaches should be embedded in institutions, programs, and workplaces. This includes how training is designed, how recruitment is done, how mentorship is provided, and how workplace policies are implemented. 

Photo 5: One of the three (3) breakout groups were comprised of the male participants of the Kapihan. Their discussion centered on men’s allyship and their role in creating a more inclusive sector.
Photo 5: One of the three (3) breakout groups were comprised of the male participants of the Kapihan. Their discussion centered on men’s allyship and their role in creating a more inclusive sector. 

 

Men’s Allyship is Essential to Sector Transformation 

One of the strongest messages from the consultation was that gender inclusion should not be viewed as a women-only responsibility.  

In a breakout session comprised of men in attendance, participants stressed the importance of engaging men as active allies in creating safer, more inclusive, and equitable workplaces. 

They emphasized that allyship could take many forms, including sharing technical knowledge and mentorship opportunities, strengthening Gender and Development (GAD) initiatives and targets beyond basic sensitivity training, and equipping instructors and technical trainers with gender-responsive approaches. Participants also underscored the need to frame women's empowerment as a community-wide issue rather than an isolated advocacy concern.  

Participants noted that involving men in these conversations can be helpful in challenging unconscious biases and dismantling long-standing exclusionary practices. 

Photo 6: Insights from each breakout group discussion were gathered to inform the next steps in the establishment and subsequent activities of the Women in E-Mobility Network.
Photo 6: Insights from each breakout group discussion were gathered to inform the next steps in the establishment and subsequent activities of the Women in E-Mobility Network. 

 

Representation and Visibility Can Shift Perceptions 

Participants emphasized that visibility is one of the most effective tools for changing perceptions about women in e-mobility workforce.  

Showcasing women already thriving in e-mobility can help challenge stereotypes and encourage more women to explore opportunities in the sector. Approaches must range from wide-reaching to localized and community-based to drive meaningful impact. 

Suggested approaches included featuring success stories as social media campaigns, public events and exposure activities such as career talks and roadshows, skills demonstrations and women in e-mobility showcases, community caravans and grassroots outreach programs, and partnerships with local government units and transport cooperatives. 

The group also highlighted that modern e-mobility technologies reduce many of the physical barriers traditionally associated with transport and mechanical work. This creates more room for women to participate in roles related to electric vehicle maintenance, charging systems, diagnostics, operations, fleet management, customer support, and enterprise development. 

Visibility, however, should not be symbolic. It should connect women to concrete next steps, such as training opportunities, certification pathways, job openings, mentorship, and business support. 

Photo 7: Richard Robles, Trainer from the TESDA Women’s Center, also shares his perspectives during the Kapihan. The Project has been working with TESDA in the development of capacity-building initiatives for the e-mobility workforce, and engaging TESDA women enrollees.
Photo 7: Richard Robles, Trainer from the TESDA Women’s Center, also shares his perspectives during the Kapihan. The Project has been working with TESDA in the development of capacity-building initiatives for the e-mobility workforce, and engaging TESDA women enrollees.  

 

The Network Must Deliver Real Opportunities 

Participants agreed that the Women in E-Mobility Network should go beyond discussion spaces and become a platform that directly connects women to opportunities. 

The network can help bridge gaps between training institutions, employers, transport operators, local governments, development partners, and women seeking entry points into the sector. It can also serve as a space for learning, mentoring, coordination, and collective action. 

Priority areas identified included job placement and employment matching, entrepreneurship support within the EV value chain, access to certifications and technical training, demand-supply matching between trained women and employers, and knowledge-sharing and mentorship opportunities. 

There was a strong consensus that women’s participation must translate into measurable economic opportunities and leadership pathways. This means designing the network with strong partnerships from the beginning. 

Photo 8: The members of the second breakout group during their discussion.
Photo 8: The members of the second breakout group during their discussion. 

The Kapihan showed that women’s engagement in e-mobility will require coordinated action among training institutions, industry, transport groups, local governments, and development partners to connect women with training, certification, employment, enterprise support, and mentorship. 

The insights from the consultation will help guide the next phase of work in shaping the Women in E-Mobility Network, alongside broader efforts by consortium partners to support capacity building and women’s engagement in the e-mobility transition. 

Photo 9: Kathleen Dematera Contreras, Lead for the Scale-up of investments through partnerships, knowledge management and capacity building (Component 4) of the e-mobility ASAP project, moderates the discussions during the Kapihan session.
Photo 9: Kathleen Dematera Contreras, Lead for the Scale-up of investments through partnerships, knowledge management and capacity building (Component 4) of the e-mobility ASAP project, moderates the discussions during the Kapihan session.  

 

Kathleen Dematera Contreras, moderator of the Kapihan session, highlighted the value of grounding the network in the realities, priorities, and ambitions shared by women in the sector.   

“The Women’s Network that we are building together through today’s in-depth discussions will empower women from different walks of life to gain access to meaningful training and employment opportunities in e-mobility. At the end of the day, what we want to ensure in this transition is that it creates real opportunities for women and reaches those who need it most. This is only the beginning, but we hope it sparks something that will continue to grow through the leadership and collaboration of women across communities and sectors” 

To learn more about the project’s insights on capacity-building, see Ms. Dematera Contreras's presentation at the ADB-GEF Webinar on Re-skilling Workers for the E-Mobility Transition: https://emobilityplatform.asia/webinar-re-skilling-workers-e-mobility-transition  

Representatives from national training and research institutions, industry stakeholders, transport cooperatives, civil society and development organizations, and Metro Manila local government units were in attendance during the Kapihan. 

------- 

The e-mobility ASAP Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is a joint effort of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Board of Investments (BOI), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in partnership with the Clean Air Asia-led Consortium. This Consortium comprises De La Salle University (DLSU), Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI), and Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP).