Women have been empowered for centuries and will continue to be empowered into the future. Women empowerment is about self-reliance, economic independence, and gender equality. It is a term that has been widely discussed during the past decades. It has been increasingly recognized as a critical issue to achieve gender equality, poverty reduction, and ultimately sustainable development.
“Beyond Women’s rights, It more about doing what is right.”
This article will discuss what women empowerment is, why it’s essential, and how you can get started with supporting it in your own life.
What is Women Empowerment?
The first step is understanding what women empowerment entails. It’s not just about voting rights or equal pay; it’s about how our education system undervalues girls from an early age and how even the most successful women are often paid less than their male counterparts in equivalent positions. It’s also about access to healthcare, child marriage, sexual violence, the inclusion of women, gender lens, and reproductive health rights. But most importantly, it’s centered around financial security and independence.
Empowerment for Women is a multidimensional process of socially, economically, and politically improving the position of women in society. It addresses gender inequality and seeks to enhance the status of women by eliminating barriers to their progress towards equality with men.
Rural Women are mainly often ignored in traditional work settings. They are usually not empowered to take over a family business and are thus left with no option other than begging for money from the husband/father of the family. This can result in domination by men in society, many forms of discrimination against women, societal norms, lack of economic resources, and inequality between men and women.
Women empowerment includes but is not limited to:
- economic, social, and political empowerment that results from education
- access to education and training opportunities without discrimination
- access to adequate health care services without discrimination, including gender-based violence prevention strategies
- Decent work conditions. Examples include access to bank loans, land, information about markets, and the freedom of association.
Women empowerment can be defined as the self-confidence and self-determination of women. The United States is one of the few countries with a legal definition of domestic violence.
Many governments and NGOs have taken on this challenge, but there’s a long way to go before saying that women are fully empowered. Efforts need to be made every day.
What are the advantages of women empowerment?
Women empowerment not only means balancing work and family but also an opportunity to do something better with their lives. The empowerment of women can be measured through many different variables.
There are two dimensions of women empowerment: first is the relationship between the women and men in society; second is the dimension of public life or social engagement.
A woman’s access to education, property, and employment determines her opportunities in society.
Women empowerment often leads to increased economic growth and improved health for women, their families, and their communities.
How can we empower women and support Gender Equality?
The following sections will provide you with a handful of ways to support Women Empowerment.
Volunteering: You don’t always have to have money or time on your hands in order to make a difference. There are plenty of ways to volunteer your services in supporting women empowerment. One of the most effective ways is working with an NGO that serves the women in your area. Perhaps you can volunteer to help organize a fundraiser or fundraising event. You could also work in a shelter for abused women or women who are being trafficked. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that means something to you and not something just to make money!
Education: Education is key to helping women and children in this world reach their dreams, whether it be through the college they want to attend or getting a job they are passionate about. There are many courses available on education at all levels, and there will always be room for improvement.
Get Involved: If you’re a teen, there are many ways to get involved within your community, whether it be through your school or university. You can raise money to help women in need through fundraisers and car washes., learn how to save money on groceries or at the mall by getting what you need for less, or also start your life skills class that teaches women self-defense and other survival skills.
Donating: You can donate money, clothes, or toiletries to shelters for women and children. You could also contribute to an organization that works in the area of women empowerment and help them in their efforts to make a difference.
Women Empowerment: Challenges, Solutions, and Public Policies
Many research argues that women’s empowerment may be closely linked to the country’s overall development. Gender equality is associated with economic prosperity since it means more income, financial stability, and social benefits like reduced violence and increased civic engagement.
For example, the 2004 UNDP Human Development Report states that “entrepreneurship can also equalize opportunities and break down barriers, especially for women. The case studies included in this report show that, in many countries, it is women who have the highest success rates at starting and sustaining micro-enterprises. In Armenia, for example, although they make up only a third of all entrepreneurs, women account for over half of those who start and run small businesses.”
At present, women’s participation in the economy varies from around 5% in parts of South-East Asia to just over 50% in most Western European countries. The World Bank’s recent East Asia Miracle study found that “women contribute an average of 37 percent to their family income — compared to only 10 percent by men. Over 20 percent of women participate in labor markets, compared to 80 percent of men”.
A 2003 study by the International Food Policy Research Institute found that “if women farmers had the same access to resources as their male counterparts, the world could feed 200 million more people” and that often when they had increased access to farm resources, “they were able to bring about other desired results including higher family income and better diets.”
The UNDP report does not claim that equality is currently being reached but does argue that its achievement should be a policy goal. It also suggests that there is no single model for achieving equality but says that it is essential for governments to partner with civil society organizations and NGOs. The UNDP says that it can comprehensively help by implementing projects that promote women’s rights, women empowerment, and eradicating violence against women.
South Asia is a region with a high population and rapid urbanization. It also has one of the worst records for gender-based violence and unequal access to reproductive health services. This leads to wider inequalities, which are not limited to economic opportunities but also include the empowerment of women.
The most significant measure of this empowerment is the relationship between women and work. More than 40% of working-age women in South Asia are employed in informal jobs with no or little access to health care or social protections, wages, training, or collective bargaining rights. Women are more likely than men to work in informal jobs outside of agriculture.
United Nations and women empowerment
Women empowerment is a contemporary concept used by the United Nations to describe the political, social, and economic transformation and participation of women at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life.
The empowerment of women is fundamental for achieving gender equality for progress towards sustainable development. Achieving gender equality requires addressing issues both within societies (gender inequality) and between countries (international gender inequality).
As such, gender equality is a developmental issue and a global concern requiring cooperation between all stakeholders.
The 1995 Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, the largest gathering of leaders ever on women’s issues, linked gender equality and the Advancement of women. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action were adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995.
In 2010, UN Women launched a campaign called “Step It Up For Gender Equality.” One of the taglines of this campaign is, “The world will not be as beautiful as it could be if we do not put women at the center; if we don’t give women equal power with men.” The campaign urges world leaders to step up efforts for gender equality.
Sustainable Development Goal 5
SDG 5 is about achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Women make up almost half of the world’s population. But that number is changing. By 2050, researchers predict that women will make up more than 50% of the global population. Women are also gaining more power than ever before. So if we want to stop poverty and promote a sustainable future – we need to give women the power they deserve.
A significant obstacle in this field is that empowerment concerns, women and men. For example, it is argued that men should be included as they are instrumental in supporting women empowerment.
In a Journey of Women Empowerment, Men need to be empowered too!
