Women Empowerment

                                                 

Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) is the process of empowering  women.It may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints or making an effort to seek them, raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training. Women's empowerment equips and allows women to make life-determining decisions through the different problems in society.

     They may have the opportunity to redefine gender roles or other such roles, which in turn may allow them more freedom to pursue desired goals

There are several principles defining women's empowerment such as, for one to be empowered, they must come from a position of dis empowerment. They must acquire empowerment themselves rather than have it given to them by an external party. Other studies have found that empowerment definitions entail people having the capability to make important decisions in their lives while also being able to act on them. Empowerment and dis empowerment are relative to the other at a previous time; as such, empowerment is a process rather than a product.

Scholars have identified two forms of empowerment, economic empowerment and political empowerment.
one  said that empowering women "puts a strong emphasis on participation in political structures and formal decision-making and, in the economic sphere, on the ability to obtain an income that enables participation in economic decision-making."

People engage in public debate and make demands on government for health care, social security and other entitlements.In particular, education empowers women to make choices that improve their children's health, their well-being, and chances of acquiring survival skills. Education informs others of preventing and containing a disease. Such education empowers women to make choices that can improve their welfare, including marrying beyond childhood and having fewer children. 

Education is not universally available and gender inequalities persist. A major concern in many countries is not only the limited numbers of girls going to school, but also the number of educational pathways for those that step into the classroom. There are efforts to address the lower participation and learning achievement of girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

In some parts of the world, girls and women are attacked for attending school,and societal efforts to stop this may be lacking

Real stories of women’s empowerment

Marie: One last chance

When 14-year-old Marie started school, there were equal numbers boys and girls. But in her Year 8 classroom, she is the only girl, surrounded by 19 boys.

“I want to finish secondary school too. I want to prove that girls can do it,” Marie says, with a look of determination.

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If Marie graduates primary school, she’ll be the first girl in her family with a certificate.

South Sudan, girls who complete all their education are exceptional. Due to the conflict and poverty, only 30 per cent of the children who are of school going age are currently studying. Gender inequality is also a factor, and only one in every seven girls (18 per cent) finish primary school in South Sudan.

But World Vision is acting to support education in Marie’s community. We built the primary school that Marie attends and provides teachers with financial incentives and materials to work there. The 700 children currently enrolled in the school are provided with school supplies – books, uniforms, pens and pencils.                         

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“We’re addressing gender inequality in education through community awareness sessions with parents, but changing behaviour and customs that have lasted for generations requires persistence and determination,” say Godfrey, a World Vision project manager working in Marie’s community.

•  Sponsor

Marie  hopes that one day she can change her community and that through her example more girls will be able to continue studying. Until then, she’ll continue to keep taking notes and writing tests, towards her goal of finishing her education.   

How World Vision is helping empower women

We believe that healthy, educated and empowered women and girls are agents of change.

When women and girls are supported, they gain opportunities to speak up for their rights, and also to advocate for their communities. They are also able to rise in social standing, and they can feed this into future generations.

This means women’s organisations, women’s empowerment policies and women’s charities can gain momentum and contribute to a stronger world.

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World Vision supports women and girls by

• Our sponsorship program. When you sponsor a girl, you not only help give a girl opportunities she may have been denied – but our community-focused approach means that her whole community benefits, too.
• Helping girls and women learn advocacy skills at all stages of life so that they can use their voices effectively for their own rights
• Partnering with communities, faith leaders and governments to challenge and correct harmful social norms that keep women and girls from their potential
• Raising awareness around the causes of poor health and wellbeing that are related to gender
• Empowering women and girls through water, sanitation and hygiene; health and nutrition; livelihoods training; and education programs to increase their opportunities and ability to reach their full potential

 

    It all started with one family choosing to sponsor one child. Helping that one girl, you don’t know how many other lives you can touch.

- Teriano Lesancha, advocate and former World Vision sponsored child

Women are always saying, 'We can do anything that men can do' but men should be saying, 'We can do anything that women can do.'

- Gloria Steinem, American feminist, journalist, and social political activist

I do not wish [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.

- Mary Wollstonecraft, English writer and advocate of educational and social equality for women

I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back.

- Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel