EMPOWERMENT
In today's era, we mostly talk about women's empowerment on social media but the question arises here Do people seriously think about it?
Before talking about women's empowerment let's talk about what Empowerment is. Empowerment means looking into a condition where we positively use radical power to get a desired result. Empowerment is not about just focusing on a single purpose and avoiding others, it's about improving the condition which helps in the development of a person.
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
Now let's come to Women's Empowerment, here the means is to focus on the improvement of Women, making them independent, providing equal opportunities to make them grow, spreading awareness among them, and helping them to get an education. Women empowerment enhances the participation of women in various sectors and helps them to live life in a better way.
Women empowerment in the true sense, means providing women equal opportunities as men and creating a world where women don't get discriminated against based on gender, where women have the right to make decisions of their lives own. At various sources, I have seen that women empowerment is allowing the women to do things that a man can but I think it's appropriate to use helping or supporting a woman rather than allowing.
Women empowerment can be stated as putting forward women's thoughts, freedom, and decisions.
Here are some factors that show women's empowerment is not a serious topic for society or most of the people -
- Less education - Most of the families at this time also do not allow girls to study due to their poor thinking that girls are only meant for household work.
- Bound to household work- Even after earning as men, only girls have to cook for the family but the condition for men is different if a man earns then he will not cook food or do household work because he earns.
- Decisions - when we talk about any decision related to family or something else, society or family does not give value to girls' thoughts, decisions, etc.
- Violence - most people think that violence is only physical torture to women, but there is also another type of violence that affects the women mentally and this leads to not treating them with respect and not giving value to their work, etc.
CATEGORIES OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Some of how women empowerment is categorized are :
• Social Empowerment
This type of Empowerment refers to the ability or capability of women to participate in social and cultural activities, raise their voices against any kind of discrimination and violence against them, and stand for their rights.
• Economic Empowerment
This type of Empowerment refers to the economic development of women, providing equal job opportunities to women as given to men, helping them to grow in a business environment, getting equal wages, and access to financial services.
• Political Empowerment
This Empowerment refers to women's growth in the field of political and administrative activities, helping women to participate more and more in the political system and providing equal status to women in leadership and decision-making processes.
• Educational Empowerment
This Empowerment refers to providing equal education status to women as compared to men, helping women to get a good quality of education so that they can make decisions in a better and appropriate manner which helps them to pursue their goals and achieve their target.
• Psychological Empowerment
This type of Empowerment means that if you are well settled, and financially independent even though you are restricted from night out, psychological Empowerment helps them to motivate to overcome their fear and help them to provide facilities to live a life with dignity.
BARRIERS IN THE WAY TO WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
•Societal norms
One of the major barriers to achieving the goal of women's empowerment is the mindset of the people who think the task of a woman is to take care of her family and spouse, she is a good cook who can make healthy and tasty food according to the choices or as per the interests of their family. They don't want women to participate in other activities than these, they think it's their only motive in life and if a woman steps out of these norms of society and something unusual happens to her then they blame her for this that why are you wearing these types of clothes, why are you out of the house at late night, see how are you sitting should a woman sit like this, don't talk loudly or in a high pitch tone you are a woman who need to have soft tone, you can't laugh loudly because you are a woman it's not allowed to you. If a woman tries to manage both household chores and office work then society taunts her that she is not able to fulfill the needs of the family and not giving her what they deserve. why do only women do household chores why not men? Here comes the term gender equality.
•Inacess to Education
Lack of education is one of the major barriers to fully achieving the objective of women's empowerment. Education is the foremost step that is required to make a woman independent, progressive, and strong in her life. There are various factors why a woman can't get an education which are -
- Lack of awareness: people are unaware of the benefits of getting an education for a girl child, they think it's only the cup of tea of a male, not a female because she has to get married one day and then she leaves her father house and went to her husband's house so why do we spend a lot on her education.
- Poverty: poverty is a responsible factor in why a girl child doesn't get an education. If a family has one boy and one girl and the family is not capable of educating both children then they think our son is the upcoming breadwinner of the family so in both of the children they opt to educate a boy rather than a girl.
•Safety Issues
Despite being half-populated female, the world is not capable enough to provide a safe environment for women. Safety is always a concern for women that stops them from participating in the outside world. Sexual harassment, rape, kidnapping, and molestation in the workplace are the major issues which lack the achievement of a fully developed nation.
Male dominance is also a factor that treats women as inferior or makes them feel weak or insecure.
HOW TO OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS?
Access to education: By providing education to every girl child, we can create a better life for women and also men. If a woman is educated then she can think more concisely on a topic and help men in decision-making. An educated woman not only changes her life but also changes the lives of the upcoming generation.
Women should take a stand for themselves: It's not only the responsibility of men to support women and help them to get educated and fight for their rights on her behalf, but women also must take a stand for themselves and other women and raise their voices against any type of discrimination, violence or abuse.
IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Making women financially independent: Women empowerment helps a woman to grow in her life and helps her get out of the cages made by society. Women empowerment helps in making women financially independent so that they alone can be capable of feeding their families and giving them a dignified life.
Fighting poverty: If a woman is financially independent then she can help in fighting poverty as she contributes to the family expenditure and tries to help them to get out of the loop of poverty.
Creating a comfortable environment for women: As we know we live in a male-dominated society where women are not given that much respect and importance that they deserve. As men are the feeders of the family they can abuse a woman or make her feel inferior or dumb because in their sense she is not contributing to the family, they don't consider household work as work which makes them live in a stressed environment, hence, women empowerment tries to improve it.
CONCLUSION
Women empowerment will develop when society especially families strengthens women by supporting them in a way like educating them, respecting them, and giving respect to their decisions, etc. Otherwise, there will be no change in the condition of women. As we talk women's empowerment is growing but in the actual scenario even after earning the money women have no right to live their lives in their own way.
So, when women have the right to express their views and to live their lives according to them, then we can almost say that there is empowerment of women.
Women lighten up the future of many lives by sacrificing so many things, their dreams so it is the basic duty of everyone to adore them with happiness.
A Dynamiclady ~ Anshika Rajput
contact - anshika@dynamiclady.in