as they strive for success and work-life balance

Manila, Philippines — Women empowerment has made great strides in the last few decades. Some have entered previously male-dominated fields, rose to the highest ranks, and set up some of the world’s biggest companies–including Canva, which grew from being a graphic design tool into an end-to-end creativity and collaboration platform.

The challenge now is to create opportunities for more women to shine. Maisie Littaua, Canva Philippines’ Head of Growth, shares some ways that companies can help women take bigger roles, while supporting work-life balance.

Actively pursue diversity and protect equal opportunity

Some companies ask applicants to state their marital status in their applications because of a bias against working moms. However, more companies are actively building an inclusive workplace.

Take it from Canva Philippines. It champions Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) and has incorporated it in the job hiring process. It removes exclusive language from job postings, and hosts workshops for everyone involved in hiring so they know how to assess candidates and mitigate biases. Canva has also set representation goals across different specialties like Operations, Design, Engineering, and Product, among others so diversity is not just created at one level.

“We need to cultivate more opportunities for women in the workplace, and equal opportunity for career advancement. Women should be able to highlight their strengths, without being hindered by a bias that they might have a child,” says Maisie.

Encourage mentorship and growth “Coaching support can help prepare women for bigger roles,” says Maisie. “They can receive the right guidance from the start and be given the chance to show what they can do.”

Canva’s development program focuses on four areas: craft or technical skills, strategy, communication, and personal leadership. Aside from formal workshops and informal brown bag sessions, each manager is a “coach”, and each employee is a “coachee”. Throughout the year, they have growth and impact chats about personal goals, well-being, and motivation.