In my knowledge Women Empowerment guarantees both men and women equal opportunities. Be it Art, Culture, Religion, Politics and Economics or any other Social value both have their opinions as well as their choices. No one has right to deprive other of any such opportunity.
Social scientists and educationists may define it some other way. However, in economics women empowerment refers to the ability for women to enjoy their right to control and benefit from resources, assets, income and their own time, as well as the ability to manage risk and improve their economic status and well being.
Entire nations, businesses, communities and groups can benefit from the implementation of programs and policies that adopt the notion of women empowerment. Empowerment of women is a necessity for the very development of a society, since it enhances both the quality and the quantity of human resources available for development. Empowerment is one of the main procedural concerns when addressing human rights and development.
Women’s empowerment and achieving gender equality is essential for our society to ensure the sustainable development of the country. Many world leaders and scholars have argued that sustainable development is impossible without gender equality and women’s empowerment. Sustainable development accepts environmental protection, social and economic development, and without women’s empowerment, women wouldn’t feel equally important to the process of development as men. It is widely believed that, the full participation of both men and women is critical for development.
Only acknowledging men’s participation will not be beneficial to sustainable development. Without gender equality and empowerment, the country could not be just, and social change wouldn’t occur.
Therefore, scholars agree that women’s empowerment plays a huge role in development and is one of the significant contributions of development. Without the equal inclusion of women in development, women would not be able to benefit or contribute to the development of the country.
If this is women empowerment everybody must work to promote it. There should not be any disagreement involved in delivering your services for its cause. But like any other idea this one is also deprived by the victim itself .
Many women are searching Femenism in it which allows “unrestricted freedom to women from their Men”. When you misuse such a title it restricts even women empowerment itself . While women (and men for that matter) succeeding in their fields is always something to be celebrated, I’ve noticed that somewhere along the line, our culture has decided that women have to follow a pretty specific path in order to be recognized as a powerful and independent.
It seems like we only celebrate women for being strong when they’re acting like men, or at least when they’re conforming to traditionally masculine traits and preferences. And don’t get me wrong, I, of course, recognize that historically, it was extremely challenging (and sometimes even illegal or impossible) for women to break into majority male professions.
But in today’s egalitarian society, is a woman who chooses to be a CEO really anymore empowered than a woman who chooses to be a homemaker? And if so, why? Is it possible for a woman to be considered “strong” while embodying feminine archetypes, not masculine ones? To explore this issue, it’s important first to clarify what exactly differentiates femininity from masculinity. Nowadays, sociologists are quick to embrace relativism and the prevalence of social constructs and might tell you that there’s no meaningful, objective difference between these traits at all. However, especially when it comes to the separation of tasks, there are clear differences between what’s considered masculine and feminine.
Throughout history, for example, cultures spanning the globe have identified masculine traits as those necessary for survival and protection. Hunting, warfare, and building have all been traditionally male-dominated, and although some might say those stereotypes are antiquated, these fields remain overwhelmingly male. Femininity, on the other hand, has always been associated with nurturing.
While masculinity focuses on surviving, femininity is about thriving. Homemaking and caregiving, whether it’s for children, the sick, or the elderly, is a way that women have historically been the backbone of both families and entire societies. In terms of modern-day professions, people like nurses, teachers, and childcare providers, in addition to a countless number of stay-at-home parents, are still majority female and provide people with much-needed care. Recognizing these differences between stereotypically masculine and feminine roles, it should be clear that neither group is more important to our society than the other. And it should also be obvious that every job, whether it’s predominantly male or female, has its own unique set of challenges.
So with that being said, modern feminism’s overall failure to acknowledge the contribution and strength of women who choose to fulfill majority female roles is disappointing, particularly for a movement that tries to paint itself as being pro-woman.
If real empowerment means a woman is able to choose whatever career path she believes is best for both herself and her family, why should that apply more to a woman who decides to work in politics or business, than it does a woman who wishes to be a stay-at-home mom? Or work in childcare? Or heck, even be a part-time Avon sales representative? And if feminism does believe that these other women are just as empowered, then why are they so often ignored? Society clings to the idea that proficiency in masculine traits is somehow better than being skilled in feminine ones.
And although the intentions may be to assure women and young girls that it’s OK not to be quintessentially feminine (which it absolutely is!), the glorification of all things masculine as the road to empowerment is frankly an insult to femininity. Ultimately, trying to turn women into men isn’t empowering them.
Aaqib Ashraf Nengroo is pursuing MA Economics from University of Kashmir.