To the casual everyman, “modern Asian woman” might sound a little anachronistic. We Asian women are known all over the world as subservient, respectful, conservative individuals; partly because of how the typical Asian woman is portrayed in popular media, and partly because it’s true to an extent. However, the age-old cultural principles that dictate how we are supposed to act and who we are supposed to be are no longer set in stone. We are loud, proud and independent women in our own right.

As an Asian woman immersed in local culture and living by the rules of local society here in the Philippines, I assert that we Asian women have found the happy medium between modern ideas and deeply-rooted traditions. We go out and about on our own, work in offices with predominantly male populations, and may even be the breadwinners of our respective families; but we are nurturers first – caring wives, mothers, sisters and friends to those who matter the most to us. This goes beyond knowing one’s priorities, beyond time management, even beyond feminism. This is simply who we are.

It is the Asian woman’s sense of belonging in a family, a community and an ancient, shared culture that gives her the strength and conviction to be whatever she wants to be. We can be career-oriented, but with every promotion there is the feeling of pride because we have honored the families and communities that we have come from through our achievements. We can be totally liberal in terms of political leanings or social values, but the our views on morality – whether or not they coincide with what is conventionally moral in Asian culture – will always be tinged by the inherently caring nature in all of us. The modern Asian woman is not an anachronism; she is contemporary, and she is real.

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