Women’s empowerment or female empowerment in its literal meaning can be said as the promotion of the women’s sense of self worth, confidence to believe in their own choices and decisions and paving the way for them to bring a social change for themselves and others also. In a nutshell, it talks about the restoration of the women’s confidence which they have lost from centuries of suppression.
Today, this topic is not merely a topic to consider but also has become a significant topic for the discussion in various fields be it economics or human resources. It has occupied its place in the global movement also and the manner in which it is gaining momentum, it will not be wrong to interpret that it will reach new heights in the coming years.
But despite its development and the progress, women and girls are still facing problems, precisely discrimination and violence, wherever they go. The notion of suppression is still imbibed in the minds of the suppressors and they are unable to accept a women’s viewpoint or opinion. They are unable to digest that a woman can also present some idea or thought which can prove to be constructive or productive in any area of life. Sometimes they do, but that is very few in number and what really this society wants is full credit and recognition.
There are many kinds of empowerment like economic empowerment, political empowerment, digital skills enhance political empowerment, cultural empowerment and so on. The basic thing which is present everywhere is that women should be given importance. They should be treated as equals and no one has the right to discriminate against them from any aspect in any phase of their life. And for this two methods which were taken into the consideration by the feminists are:
a) Raising Consciousness: To fight for the rights, one has to know what his/her rights are. It is the stepping stone. With this approach, feminists try to raise consciousness of women present out there that it is their right to be treated as equals. It is not a privilege that can only be enjoyed by few. If they are denied, they should fight for that. Not only that, its relation with the political and economical issues should also be taken into account apart from the personal struggles. Awareness of the root cause of their problems will initiate the need to be empowered.
b) Building Relationships with the women participants and their external oppressors: According to the scholars, bridging the gap between the relationships will reduce the power gap which is already prevailing in the society. The balance between the relationships is very important.
But still there are barriers present in women’s empowerment and equality because of the existent cultural norms prevailing in the society. Many of them have become accustomed to it. They have accepted the fact that they are lesser than men and happy with that only. And many men also don’t want to break or disrupt the already formed social structure. They themselves have accepted the societal norms and further inculcate in others also.
Lastly, I want to conclude with the fact that the movement of women empowerment still has to go on. It is not a project which can be achieved in 10-15 years. It will not stop unless this society change its mindset and changing of the mindset will take time. In this, the education and internet has to play a very important role in imparting consciousness and making them aware of the fact that women are equal as men’s. Nothing less and Nothing more.
Eduindex News 