Empowerment

When women have a sense of empowerment they are strong individuals who function well in their chosen position in society. It does not matter if they are in relationships or not, single or partnered, employed or not working. Empowered women have a strong sense of self-esteem and the ability to determine the direction of their lives.

Of course, this is not saying that women with a strong sense of empowerment are indestructible super women, merely that they are more resilient to the “slings and arrows” (Shakespeare, Hamlet) that must be lived through as part of life.

To look more closely at empowered women, we need to look at the word empowerment and, then, to think about whether empowerment is learned from living by example, as in through nurturing from empowering parents and or family. Can empowerment be learned through experience? Is it constant or can it be worn down by a society that, sometimes, seeks to strip women of power and leave them in disempowered positions in relation the men with whom they have relationships; the jobs they do not have; the education they have not had the opportunity to access; the lower paying jobs they struggle to keep; the long hours spent climbing the professional ladder and maintaining their positions or advancing..

The word “empower” means
1. to give power or authority to; authorise, esp. by legal or official means:
2. to enable or permit:
Dictionary.com

So ‘empowerment’ means having authority over your life, legal and financial and being ‘empowered’ to function as an ‘enabled’ member of the community.

Yet, for many women empowerment is distant from their everyday mode of living and, for some, it comes as second nature to recognise their position and seek to maintain or improve it. The questions that need to be asked are how can we bring children, young girls, teenagers, young women and ALL women to see that they can be empowered.

It is easier for some, example, those raised in situations where gender roles are shared. In these situations, young women see that they have the ability to function across gender roles, changing tyres and checking the oil in their cars. Such young women also grow up with knowledge of the language of business and powers to negotiate where the “starting price” is just that – where negotiations start.

It is these knowledges, and the application of them, that empower women. To empower all women, the sharing of gender roles and a valuing of personal independence needs to be augmented. This can be done through networking and through adopting educational and social models that put women in positions where they can exercise and experience their empowerment….and so it becomes a form of ‘power’ used for positive action rather than destruction.

Wishing you an empowered festive season and a new year of peace and progress.


References:

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/empowerment (accessed: December 23, 2006).