MANILA, PHILIPPINES – In the age of hyper-targeted content, relying on outdated and persistent gender stereotypes is more than just poor creativity — it is a strategic misstep. This was the central point highlighted by Investing in Women Director of Campaigns and Communities in Practice Kim Patria in his talk, “Beyond the algorithm: How are shifting gender norms redefining the Filipino audience,” delivered at DigiCon 2025 on Friday, October 17 at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.
Kim expanded on this by showing how the Filipino audience’s progressive attitudes toward equality contrast with real-world behaviors. He challenged content creators to bridge this gap by replacing stereotypical insights with data-driven, equity-focused strategies that transform digital culture.
“Basically, the content that we produce and the content that we deploy simply mirrors our audience’s beliefs, attitudes, and values,” he said.
Kim added, “Stereotypes are changing, but there are things that persist — maybe not as great, maybe not as jarring, but also more insidious, because they’re harder to catch, harder to call out.”
During his talk, he presented data from a recent research initiative, conducted in partnership with the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University, which explored the current state of gender perceptions in the Philippines. The survey found a strong desire for equality across key domains.
“Our data shows us that the Filipino audience declares there’s huge power for gender equality in Filipino society,” Kim noted. For example, a vast majority — 80% — believe that childcare should be shared equally across genders. Similarly, respondents strongly agreed that women should contribute to family and company finances as much as men.
However, Kim emphasized a persistent challenge: “The gap between attitudes and behaviors is consistent across almost all domains in our survey.” While 80% supported shared childcare, only 68% actually shared childcare responsibilities equally. This illustrates the need for data-driven content strategies to close the gap between progressive beliefs and action, since systemic barriers persist and stereotypes remain difficult to identify.
The Barrier of Pluralistic Ignorance
Building on this point, Kim identified a key concept he believes acts as a barrier to behavioral change: pluralistic ignorance. This social phenomenon describes the tendency of people to underestimate how much their peers support equality.
Kim described a clear pattern in the data: people tend to underestimate how much others around them support gender equality. This is known as pluralistic ignorance, where individuals are unaware that many share their progressive views.
“One of the clear patterns we also see in our data is a tendency for people to underestimate the extent to which gender equality is supported,” he explained.
This ignorance of shared progressive values becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; if people wrongly believe they are alone in their support for equality, they are less likely to act on those beliefs.
“There is enormous literature — this is called pluralistic ignorance: ignorance of the fact that the people around me are actually thinking the same way as I am, or actually support [gender equality] as I was told.”
Through these findings, Kim argued that using outdated gender tropes in content creation is not only creatively stagnant; it fundamentally fails to represent and engage the modern Filipino consumer. This misalignment, he argued, is a core weakness for brands and creators.
“Content that creates or perpetuates stereotypes is not mirroring our audience’s reality — they’re mirroring a misperception,” he stated, adding a call to action for the digital and creative industries to reflect on an updated reality and shape a better reality.
“Stop relying on outdated stereotypes as a shortcut to audience Insights. Start using real data, and audit your content. Audit for gender stereotypes; work with gender advocates, work with advertisers to reflect real audiences,” he explained.
Continuing this call to action, Kim emphasized that marketers must not only mirror society but also help move it forward.
“The Filipino audience is ready for more diverse and empowering expectations,” Kim urged.
“We are ready to see more women in traditionally male roles. We’re ready to see more men taking on fair responsibilities. We’re ready to see all genders in a myriad of roles that we thought were fixed,” he affirmed.
Ultimately, Kim issued a direct challenge: Marketers, advertisers, and agency leaders must recognize their role in both reflecting and shaping social norms. Digital media, he stressed, holds a unique responsibility and opportunity to close the gap between progressive attitudes and lagging behaviors, using every story told to inspire genuine equality.
“Will you help shape digital culture? Will you help shape another person, or will you let outdated narratives win?” Kim asked.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of DigiCon2025.
