Women's empowerment

Women empowerment, referring to the empowerment of women in our present society, has become a significant topic of discussion in regards to development and economics. It can also point to approaches regarding other marginald genders in a particular political or social context.

While often interchangeably used, the more comprehensive concept of Gender empowerment refers to people of any gender, stressing the distinction between biological sex and gender as a role. It thereby also refers to other marginalized genders in a particular political or social context.

Methods to empower Women

One way to deploy the empowerment of women is through land rights. Land rights offer a key way to economically empower women, giving them the confidence they need to tackle gender inequalities. Often, women in developing nations are legally restricted from their land on the sole basis of gender. Having a right to their land gives women a sort of bargaining power that they wouldn’t normally have, in turn; they gain the ability to assert themselves in various aspects of their life, both in and outside of the home.^[1] Another way to provide women empowerment is to allocate responsibilities to them that normally belong to men. When women have economic empowerment, it is a way for others to see them as equal members of society. Through this, they achieve more self-respect and confidence by their contributions to their communities. Simply including women as a part of a community can have sweeping positive effects. In a study conducted by Bina Agarwal, women were given a place in a forest conservation group. Not only did this drive up the efficiency of the group, but the women gained incredible self-esteem while others, including men, viewed them with more respect.^[2] Participation, which can be seen and gained in a variety of ways, has been argued to be the most beneficial form of gender empowerment. Political participation, be it the ability to vote and voice opinions, or the ability to run for office with a fair chance of being elected, plays a huge role in the empowerment of peoples.^[3] However, participation is not limited to the realm of politics. It can include participation in the household, in schools, and the ability to make choices for oneself. It can be said that these latter participations need to be achieved before one can move onto broader political participation.^[4] When women have the agency to do what she wants, a higher equality between men and women is established. It is argued that Microcredit also offers a way to provide empowerment for women.^[5] Governments, organizations, and individuals have caught hold of the lure of microfinance. They hope that lending money and credit allows women to function in business and society, which in turn empowers them to do more in their communities. One of the primary goals in the foundation of microfinance was women empowerment. Loans with low interest rates are given to women in developing communities in hopes that they can start a small business and provide for her family.^[6] It should be said, however, that the success and efficiency of microcredit and microloans is controversial and constantly debated.^[7]

The Internet as a tool of empowerment

The growing access of the web in the late 20th century, has allowed women to empower themselves by using various tools on the Internet. With the introduction of the World Wide Web, women have begun to use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to start online activism.^[8] Through online activism, women are able to empower themselves by organizing campaigns and voicing their opinions for equality rights without feeling oppressed by members of society.^[9] For example, on May 29, 2013, an online campaign started by 100 female advocates forced the leading social networking website, Facebook, to take down various pages that spread hatred about women.^[10]

In recent years, blogging has also become a powerful tool for the educational empowerment of women. According to a study done by the University of California, Los Angeles, medical patients who read and write about their disease are often in a much happier mood and more knowledgeable than those who do not.^[11] By reading others' experiences, patients can better educate themselves and apply strategies that their fellow bloggers suggest.^[11]

With the easy accessibility and affordability of e-learning (electronic learning), women can now study from the comfort of their home anywhere, anytime.^[12] By empowering themselves educationally through new technologies like e-learning, women are also learning new skills that will come in handy in today's advancing globalized world.

Barriers to the empowerment of women

Many of the barriers to women's empowerment and equity lie ingrained in cultural norms. Many women feel these pressures, while others have become accustomed to being treated inferior to men.^[13] Even if men, legislators, NGOs, etc. are aware of the benefits women's empowerment and participation can have, many are scared of disrupting the status quo and continue to let societal norms get in the way of development.^[5]

Research shows that the increasing access to the internet can also result in an increased exploitation of women.^[8] Releasing personal information on websites has put some women's personal safety at risk. In 2010, Working to Halt Online Abuse stated that 73% of women were victimized through such sites.^[14] Types of victimization include cyber stalking, harassment, online pornography, and flaming.^[15]

Recent studies also show that women face more barriers in the workplace than do men. Gender-related barriers involve sexual harassment, unfair hiring practices, career progression, and unequal pay where women are paid less than men are for performing the same job.^[16] Such barriers make it difficult for women to advance in their workplace or receive fair compensation for the work they provide.

Measuring women empowerment

Women empowerment can be measured through the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), which shows women’s participation in a given nation, both politically and economically. GEM is calculated by tracking “the share of seats in parliament held by women; of female legislators, senior officials and managers; and of female profession and technical workers; and the gender disparity in earned income, reflecting economic independence.” ^[3] It then ranks countries given this information. Other measures that take into account the importance of female participation and equality include: the Gender Parity Index and the Gender-related Development Index (GDI).^[3]

Women Empowerment in India ,through economic self-dependency/financial stability

In India, We still have illiterate and poor village women financially dependent on their family members even though they are hard working & have their own abilities to be financially self-dependent, But,they wont get any good job and no financial support to start their own house hold businesses. For such huge group of people and by keeping women empowerment in mind there are some organizations which provide all facilities & job opportunities for women in housekeeping & security services for ex: Safe Hands 24x7 in Hubli,Karnataka.

Role of Women empowerment for societies

Entire nations, businesses, communities, and groups can benefit from the implementation of programs and policies that adopt the notion of women empowerment.^[3] Empowerment is one of the main procedural concerns when addressing human rights and development. The Human Development and Capabilities Approach, The Millennium Development Goals, and other credible approaches/goals point to empowerment and participation as a necessary step if a country is to overcome the obstacles associated with poverty and development.^[17]

Economic benefits of women empowerment

Most women across the globe rely on the informal work sector for an income.^[18] If women were empowered to do more and be more, the possibility for economic growth becomes apparent. Empowering women in developing countries is essential to reduce global poverty since women represent most of the world’s poor population.^[19] Eliminating a significant part of a nation’s work force on the sole basis of gender can have detrimental effects on the economy of that nation.^[20] In addition, female participation in counsels, groups, and businesses is seen to increase efficiency.^[21] For a general idea on how an empowered women can impact a s53 percent higher returns on equity, 24 percent higher returns on sales and 67 percent higher returns l (OECD, 2008)."^[22] This study shows the impact women can have on the overall economic benefits of a company. If implemented on a global scale, the inclusion of women in the formal workforce (like a Fortune 500 company) can increase the economic output of a nation. Therefore, women can also help businesses grow and economies prosper if they have, and if they are able to use, the right knowledge and skills in their employment.

Empowerment in international development

The UK's Department for International Development are working to address constraints to the empowerment of adolescent girls in developing countries. Researchers mapped organisations that competitively seek innovative ideas from both the private and non-profit sectors potentially to reach girls, youth and/or women in developing country contexts and provides support in the forms of finance and technical assistance to bring their ideas to market.^[23]

See also

• Women's rights
• Feminism
• Gender empowerment
• Traditional functions of the family and the role of women

References

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