The question is not who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me.
This is one of my favorite questions to ask someone. More than the answer is the thought process that I enjoy. It not only offers a unique insight into the person, but it also allows me to connect with him/her on a deeper level. After learning their answer, it’s only fair that I answer the question myself. My answer is…Woman!
What Does It Mean to Be a Woman?
We believe women are heroes. Women are some of our favorite writers, most intelligent voices, and incredible innovators. Women have helped us think more deeply through issues about which we’re passionate, and women have made our world a better place to be human. And though womanhood is often challenging terrain, it offers unique power, especially when we make the cultural conversation more inclusive. Together, we’ve argued over the merits of “leaning in.” We’ve asked whether women can “have it all.”
We’ve wondered why women’s voices are so often excluded from the world of publishing and how to make feminism more intersectional. And through it all, amazing women have inspired us.
What Is Female Empowerment?
Empowerment doesn’t have a straightforward definition because it means something different to everyone. So there are 5 types of female empowerment.
1. Social
Social empowerment might be one of the most prominent forms of empowerment shown in the mainstream media. It strengthens women’s social relations and their positions in social structures, giving them more of a purpose outside of the home. Their contributions to society are recognized and valued as opposed to looked down upon simply because it was a woman’s creation.
Social empowerment also fights back against discrimination, no longer letting people of different disabilities, races, ethnicities, religions, or genders be walked over by what’s considered ‘normal’.
2. Educational
Education is a crucial part of growing and developing, but there are still places in the world that deny education to girls. This takes away a fundamental skill everyone has the right to knowledge. Without a proper education for all, gender empowerment isn’t possible. Education puts everyone on equal footing, and lets young girls have access to what their rights and duties are.
Not only that, obtaining knowledge can boost self-confidence, self, and religious consciousness, and can discourage the growth of bigotry, narrow-mindedness, superstition, intolerance, and so on.
3. Economic
People say money can’t buy happiness, but being at an economic disadvantage can take away access to becoming empowered. Being poor, landless, deprived, or oppressed doesn’t allow access to resources that those in good financial standings do. Closing this gap would allow everyone to have equal footing, and women, in particular, would gain a more significant share of control over the material, human, intellectual, and financial resources.
4. Political
Having a voice in politics can be substantial in letting a group’s view be pushed into the light of mainstream media, and that’s no different for advocating women’s rights. The political involvement of women “implies the decentralization of power and authority in the deprived, oppressed, and powerless people who have not been able to participate in the decision-making process and the implementation of policies and programs of both government and organizations as well as familial and societal matters”.
In other words, having political influence would not only give a voice to those who haven’t had a voice in how things are governed, but it would also allow the possibility of policies and programs being put into place that would work with these discriminated groups.
5. Psychological
Psychological empowerment aligns with social empowerment—it transgresses the “traditional and patriarchal taboos and social obligations” and lets women go beyond what’s expected of them in society. This can build self-confidence, help women recognize their self-worth, and gives them the chance to take control of their income and body.
All five of these categories intertwine with one another, but it’s equally important to consider them separately as well. Each group has different main goals they’re aiming for, so trying to focus on them as a whole would be unbeneficial ultimately. Knowing what work has to be put into these five categories can provide a boost in the right direction, and allow empowerment not just for women, but eventually for all.
Woman Empowerment Through Other Empowered Women
Economic empowerment is central to women’s ability to overcome poverty, cope with shocks, and improve their well-being. When women realize their economic goals, whether it’s growing a business, improving their home, or investing in training or education, they’re more resilient and able to provide for themselves and their families. Yet, globally, women continue to trail men in formal labor force participation, land and property ownership, and access to financial services, like credit and savings.
Approaches tailored to reach women must address and overcome the multiple obstacles that can leave women trapped in poverty. PCI’s Women Empowered (WE) program focuses on increasing women’s skills, decision-making power, and access to economic resources. Interventions including the formation of savings and lending groups and income-generating activities help women realize their financial goals and overcome persistent, gender-based barriers. As resourceful economic agents, women can take control of their future and support their families and communities.
Why Is Empowerment So Important?
Empowerment is considered a “new” management style for companies to help foster new career goals. It helps framework an employee’s expectations and sets goals to accomplish the main purpose of their work. It will enable an employee to take control of their job and use skills they never knew they could use. Empowerment is one of our core values at A-merit. We believe it is the key to any work environment. It will allow you to eliminate any drawbacks and give the ability for an employee to grow and learn.
How Can You Feel Empowered?
Stay open to possibilities. There is no such thing as Doom’s Day unless you believe in it.
Focus on who you are. Things are going to happen a certain way even if you don’t like it.
Run your own race.
Trust yourself.
Build a valuable network for yourself.
Love what you do.
Hold yourself with grace.
Embrace imperfect moments.
Feminism Vs Woman Empowerment:
We all have heard of feminism and women empowerment. My question here for all is are these two themes related and how are they related? Can you use Feminism as a tool for Women Empowerment?
I believe that feminism is constrained with the notion of 'equality' whereby we aim for women to have equal opportunities with men. While on the other hand women empowerment is not constrained in any way, we can go far and beyond empowering women and as such, there are no constraints on the concept of 'equality'. At the end of it then empowerment is the end goal of feminism.
Learn more: Difference between feminism and woman empowerment
Conclusion
A strong woman is the one who feels deeply and loves fiercely. Her tears flow as abundantly as her laughter. A strong woman is both soft and powerful, she is both practical and spiritual. A strong woman in her essence is a gift to the world.” If you want to run for Prime Minister, you can. If you don’t, that’s wonderful, too. Shave your armpits, don’t shave them, wear flats one day, heels the next. These things are so irrelevant and surface to what it is all really about, and I wish people wouldn’t get caught up in that.
We want to empower women to do exactly what they want, to be true to themselves, to have the opportunities to develop Women should feel free in order to feel empowered.
Not just empowerment, some people also need to understand that women are also humans. Check out this article on how feminism fosters this concept.
Written By - Ifrah Amin
Edited By - Neha Kundu
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