Empowerment has played an important role throughout history and has become ever more president today, crucial in the trendy age self-help and social responsibility. Shortly after having arisin in the mid-17th century with the legalistic meaning, the word empowerment began to be used in a more general and infinite way of enabling or permitting. Its more modern use originated in the civil rights movement and was later taken up by the women's movement. Born out of such historical and political movements, advancements and changes, there is no doubt of the importance and strength of empowerment of a peoples.
I previously explored inspiration and the impact it can have on someone, but the gift of empowerment may be even more profound. According to Wikipedia, "empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities." By developing confidence in one's own capacities, the individual can then feel conscious and in control. Empowerment is such a strong and useful tool for personal and societal advancement but so difficult to develop and grab hold of in a world full of human rights atrocities, gender inequality, illness, racism, violence and poverty.
While the definition and process of empowerment can encompass a lot, for the purpose of this entry, I want to focus on personal development and empowerment that is often associated with feminism and the women's movement. Millions of women throughout the world live in conditions of severe deprivation of, and attacks against, their fundamental human rights for no other reason than that they are women. We hear of acid attacks of women in Pakistan, stonings of women in Iran, tens of thousands of Indian women and girls dying during pregnancy, in childbirth, and in the weeks after giving birth, adolescent girls victims of human trafficking, etc. The headlines of women and girls being victims of human rights abuses goes on and on.
America's culture has come a long way since the first wave of the feminist movement in the 18th century, but there are still signs of opression and stereotypes that keep women feeling marginalized and insecure. Generation after generation, it is tiring to feel repressed, and now is the time to reclaim control and no longer accept and internalize society's pressures.
Empowerment has personal meaning and the process different for different people at different times. For many women, it has to do with feeling in control and confident in our bodies and lives. It's a struggle to feel independent, financially and emotionally, to not depend on anyone else to support or make you happy. This all comes from within and radiates outward to then be able to have a healthy relationship with others, one with out dependency. As for empowering ourselves through our bodies, these struggles can be compared across cultures. Women have been sexually exploited and victims of violence since beginning of time. In America, we place extremely high values and importance on the superficial and have created a culture of eating disorders and plastic surgery. While body image issues are always a result of deeper issues and complexes, and it's important to begin to understand those in order to get to the root of the problem that has manifested itself in to an eating disorder, for example, it's also important to understand the culture that has contributed to the rise in numbers of women and girls with this illness. However, my philosophy on this is not to place such an emphasis on media analysis. While I believe the images fed to women through the media do present unhealthy stereotypes and ideals, it is more cultural values that emphasize submission rather than communication/expression and this is taught to us by those closest, family, friends, teachers, etc. Besides understanding the roots of these issues, women and girls can still work to have a healthy relationship with their bodies, to empower themselves and reclaim their femininity as personally desired. Empowerment is about choice and freedom. . .having the power to decide for yourself, nobody mandating or placing you in a box. Women and girls must begin to explore themselves and see what provides best satisfaction and nourishment for their own soul. We must break the silence and no longer be restrained to holding in emotions and sexuality for fear that others will not approve or be judgmental since it goes against the norms of what we were taught and had ingrained in us since childhood. If the norms were always accepted, there would never have been progress in politics or human rights. Norms can and should be challenged and reinvented, beginning on a small scale, beginning with confidence in yourself.
Economic empowerment is equally challenging and important these days for women. Looking at even one generation past to my mother, I see how much times have changed. We've learned to struggle for independence and that education is foremost important, leading then to a career. In countries outside of the United States, women are still not allowed to vote or go to school or have their own businesses. We are fortunate in the States to have made this stride. However, it was only just a little less than 100 years ago that women gained voting rights in the U.S. Around the world, in underdeveloped and developing countries, women are still treated like second-class citizens or worse like slaves, held down by men, politics and religion.
I recently attended a talk by Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Muhammad Yunnis and editor of The Economist and was awakened to the the incredible world of microfinance. Muhammad Yunnis founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1983 under the belief that credit is a fundamental human right. From his concept was born another great version of person-to-person microlending websites like Kiva and Vittana. With just $25, you can finance a personso that he or she can start a business in order to sustain themselves and family or you can fund loans for people looking to get a college education in developing countries. This is empowering individuals to create change and help poor people escape from poverty. Furthermore, for women especially, this can be life-changing as they become self-sufficient, contribute to the family's income (or in many cases become the bread-winner), which then raises their social status at home and in the larger community, giving them a voice. Also, it's a win-win-situation since the lender is making an investment and can acquire interest that he or she will gain once the other person begins to profit from their business or gets a job from going to school. This form of empowerment could be one of the greatest gifts one could give this holiday season.
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