Why is women’s empowerment important for development? And what do I mean by development?
Development, here, means social and economic development. Stories of empowerment are happening as you read this.
In this article you’ll find out why women’s empowerment is important for the development of society and the economy.
Here are the main issues surrounding societies and economies on a global scale
- Poverty
- Food Waste
- Income Inequality
- Political Unrest
- Climate Change
- Financial Crises
- Personal Privacy and Data Security
- Gender Equality
- Economic Warfare and Global Economic Competition
- Healthcare
- Energy and Environmental Security
Social Empowerment of Women
What do we mean by social empowerment? Feminism?
Social empowerment for women is about recognizing women as competent authorities in their respective fields, same as men. This allows women to take part, as individuals, in important processes.
This type of empowerment helps countries develop and prosper in a number of ways.
If you’re interested, here’s a study.
What are the Objectives of Women Empowerment?
What’s the actual focus here? What’s the actionable measurable goal?
The goal is first and foremost to raise awareness of the issue. You’ve probably heard that the first step to solving a problem is identifying it.
Then what?
Next, it comes down to implementation of processes and programs such as special training, education, maternity leave, childcare. And, instead of focusing “on people”, we focus on both men and women’s empowerment, when installing policies.
Why Empower Women?
So why not “people”? Why single out the women and women’s empowerment?
Because at least half the human population on earth is women. Which means that we’re not fulfilling our potential. That’s not to say men don’t need empowering in certain areas. But if we look at society and the economy as a whole, as well as what certain countries are doing right…
…we find that empowering women is a good area of our global portfolio, as a species, to grow and improve.
Here are some observations that answer the question why empower women?:
- The UN views women’s empowerment as key to their agenda for sustainable economy
- Women empowerment fuels the growth of under-developed countries
- Innovation increases in companies that allow women to hold executive positions
Those alone will give you an idea of the scope. This is a movement that will change our world. No matter what gender you identify as, this is a win for you.
Here’s a short video by the UN:
Women and Economy
What does women’s presence in the world’s economy currently look like?
What you’ll find is that economic prosperity and gender equality go hand in hand. This is different than economic growth, which means that developed countries with a large GDP, who want to become more prosperous, must empower the status of women and women’s empowerment.
Conversely, in terms of economic growth, many struggling countries are realizing the value of having women in the workforce.
Why Women Empowerment is Important in 2019
If you’d like to learn more about the current state of women’s empowerment, go here: why women empowerment is important in 2019