Women empowerment in its very essence is the undertaking by women to create and recreate their own purpose, regardless of the circumstances.
Today, women are faced with a lack of respect for their participation in the society, as well as undermined in their abilities, knowledge and intellect. Women receive less education, less salary, and less responsibilities as opposed to their counterparts.
Empowering women places the decision-making torch in their hands enabling them to light up all the spheres of life, to ensure long-term sustainability of the status of women in society. Education plays an important role in arming women with the knowledge, skills and confidence required to participate in the development process of communities.
It also helps in eliminating poverty, and improving the health and well-being among generations.
Every human being has a right to freely choose and make decisions to better one’s life. Women empowerment is doing just that. It is giving women control over their own lives, returning their sense of self-worth, while giving them access to resources and opportunities as a right, and in return creating a more tolerable and entitled society. Glass ceilings exist not only in the corporate world but in the very minute of places; but as women we have to realise that it is not a reflection of our values as a person, nor of our capabilities as a professional. Breaking the glass ceilings should not even be an achievement; it has to be a right.
Women constitute nearly half of the world population, but their participation in the world economy is meagre.
In the wider scope of things, bringing women into the mainstream and their role in decision-making at all levels is vital in maintaining a sustainable global development, and significantly improving the quality of life for individuals.
As Kofi Annan says, “There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women” and we agree. Empowering women in no way means undermining the value or the abilities of men; in fact, it promotes diversity, as every gender and every individual brings new ideas and different skills to the table, be it at home or in the office.
Empowering women is not only about increasing their share in the business and corporate sectors, but respecting the choices made by each and every woman, in homes and beyond. True empowerment is allowing women and every individual to make choices without being discriminated against, having rights as human beings, and entitlement to a better life.
“There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women”
What does Women Empowerment mean to you?
Hamdi Farah
Senior Officer Finance at Dubai Holding
As more women lead the world in different industries and regions, there are still parts of the world that are lagging behind in empowering the female gender to fulfil their potential. Women empowerment on a primary level means ensuring women feel safe in their own environment, have access to education and the knowledge they would like to attain as well as gain the financial freedom they need to make their own decisions and live life the way they want. Safety, financial freedom and access to education, in my humble opinion; are the basic components needed to empower women to empower themselves.
On a secondary level, female empowerment means having laws in place to ensure women no longer have to make sacrifices as the direct result of social gender discrimination. These include having ample or flexible maternity and paternity leaves; increasing the presence and voice of organisations and groups that advocate against social issues that catalyst gender prejudice; and having strong regulatory measures that champion women’s equal rights and protection.
Namira Samir
Researcher at the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K)
As someone who aspires to make the voices of women heard and acknowledged, I believe that we still experience public misconceptions about what empowered women and women empowerment purport to be.
People tend to associate an empowered woman with overly ambitious, ready-to-conquer-the-world kind of a person; someone who would not listen to other’s opinion but her own.
Women empowerment is neither about power nor self-absorption. It is about having the right to do things the way they want and to take opportunities that are presented to them with zero limitation and without prejudice. It is about being able to fulfil their fundamental needs and not suffering from any of the three dimensions of deprivation (health, education, and living standards). Also, women empowerment is about being able to use the power acquired without forgetting the presence of men as human beings that deserve as much rights as them. Empowering women requires devotion and boundless efforts. To stay silence is a disgrace of our ability to speak up about what’s in our mind. Only when we as women trust our guts and start taking the leap would we achieve eternal women empowerment.
Anita Menon
Chief Risk Officer, Prudential BSN Takaful
Women’s empowerment is the hallmark of a developed society and to me is the ability for women to make decisions and act for themselves without having the shackles of limitations placed by society. It is about women having equal access to education and employment and to have the ability to move around freely without fear. The Takaful industry being no exception to this, enabling women to take on leadership roles to contribute to its development. This will allow women to be respected for their competencies and capabilities, working side by side with men, to be comfortable in their own skin and management style. It is also just as much about respecting women who make the decision to stay at home and be full-time home-makers, but it should be as a result of a women’s own choice and not because she is expected to be the nurturer and the person to hang up her career aspirations when she becomes a parent. It is when all women come together that women are truly empowered.
Jennifer Ng Abdullah
Head, Islamic Wealth Management at Alliance Islamic Bank Bhd
Today, being a woman demands one to excel in all that they do — be it at work or at home, which can be physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. Women generally are constantly judged on how well they cope with work and family by the people around them.
Women empowerment for me is sending the message to all women that not being the best in everything or every time is ok. It is ok that you are not a supermom or that you missed your child’s PTA meeting because you just had to be at work. It’s ok that you missed an important discussion in the office because you are unwell and all you want to do is to lie in bed.
Women empowerment is about giving women the prerogative to decide what is best for them instead of always looking after the interest of others before themselves or having to think if they will be criticised for their actions or decisions. Women empowerment is allowing women to be free to decide what makes them happy, be it going beyond their means to complete a task or taking that well deserved break they always wanted.
Joann Enriquez
CEO at Investment Account Platform.
The typical notion of women empowerment is to empower women to be equal to men. This indirectly acknowledges the inequality of women. Where is the disparity? Perhaps in the pay scale and opportunities or in perception and expectations? I have a different perspective: Women are not equal to men.
Women have the capacity, the ability, and a sense of responsibilities that men can never have and vice versa.
On the biological standpoint of childbearing and nurturing alone; the discussion concludes. Emotions, physical abilities, biological structure, genetics, and all propensities based on these makes it a feat to say women are equal to men.
I can also argue that perhaps the demise of the society is because we forget the uniqueness of a woman — the power she holds and the responsibilities she must bear. We perhaps get lost in the debacle of thinking women are equal to men and recklessly believe that roles can be freely reversed without much consideration. The unique beauty and capacity of a woman of any age and race cannot be questioned and is obvious to every human being. It has forever been revered in mythologies, holy books, oral and written traditions. Every child who has a mother, sister, aunt or a female friend can attest to this innate reality. Women empowerment is about giving women the opportunity to shine and showcase their talents and therefore, allowed to give back to society.
Rosmini Mohamad
VP/Head, HR Shared Services, Group Human Resource at Malaysia Development Bank Berhad
Empowerment has often been deliberated as an authority granted to an individual or a group to make the right decision in various acts and to overcome challenges. It is also associated with trust element in people’s capability to drive initiative. Regardless of gender or place, either at work or home, people must be empowered to a certain degree to strengthen their leadership and ultimately be able to achieve their targeted life goals.
Focusing on women empowerment, in 2018 women constituted half of the world’s population but only 48.5% participated in the labour force. Living in both the private and corporate worlds, women empowerment really means to stand independently with unrestricted possibilities to make the right decision. It motivates and promotes women’s participation in all sectors and enhances their capabilities in all areas that they venture into to improve their quality of life. Education plays as an important element to achieve workplace gender equality, and thus allowing women to compete on merits and be aware of their rights in social and economic development for their growth and helping others to grow. The society at this moment need not worry about recognising women empowerment as women have a a very impressive track record of living with their hearts full of responsibilities in managing their own family and nurturing the nation globally.
Sarifa Alonto Younes
Keynote Speaker and Author
Empowerment means different things to different women.
Margaret Thatcher equated empowerment to an ability to dedicate oneself to a task. She said: “I’ve got a woman’s ability to stick to a job and get on with it when everyone else walks off and leaves it.” While Michelle Obama defines
empowerment as the ability to overcome limiting beliefs. She puts it bluntly: “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” On the other hand, Oprah Winfrey describes empowerment as the ability to overcome your fear of failure:
“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.”
One may view women empowerment as success in leadership, management and politics. Others may define it as achievement in the face of adversities. Yet others may see a rise to celebrity despite the odds being stacked against you as empowering. Regardless of how you view and define women empowerment, we all share the same feelings, vision, and dreams of empowering women for success.
My view is that women empowerment is the process of equipping women to realise their true potential so that they have the courage to respond to situations according to their abilities and interests. This allows them to play the role they are most comfortable and confident in, be that politics, economics, education, or so on. Empowering women allows them to intelligently participate in decision-making. It’s about allowing themselves to learn and grow despite the obstacles that may try to hinder their progress and development.
As Margaret Thatcher would say “you may have to fight a battle more than once to win it”. As women, we may need to keep resisting and persisting to reach our full potential. Only then can we make a difference and empower other women to push even further in future generations.
There are various factors or barriers that affect, and even cripple, women as they try to achieve their dreams. Issues such as societal norms, beliefs, traditions, cultures, marital status, and education are just some of the many barriers that women may need to overcome.
But of all those factors, I see education as the most important and dominant barrier that affects most women. A lack of education results in women having less participation in politics, socio-economics, leadership, and management in corporate sectors. Through education, women equipped with the ability to learn and acquire other skills that allow them to progress. Education will pull women out of misery and exploitation and will help them to make better decisions for themselves. It’s a particular problem for women in third-world countries who have no access to education and may even have been deprived of education as they grew up.
In such countries, we see women struggling to participate in the workforce, education, and politics. It is perhaps no coincidence that these countries are experiencing slow growth in economic development.
To empower women is to allow them access to both formal and informal education that would equip them to have more bargaining power in the house and workplace and would prepare them to raise brilliant future generations. I believe in a saying that behind every successful man is a powerful woman. And likewise, behind every successful woman is a loving and supportive husband.
Datin Paduka Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah Tapsir
Director General, Department of Higher Education Ministry of Education Malaysia
Empowering girls and women is powerful and critical in today’s circumstances. A country’s future is largely shaped by the girls of today and the women of tomorrow. Hence, there is a grave need to empower them to realise their potentials through expanding their economic opportunities, lifting their educational aspirations and exploring their hidden talents.
Personally, there are three notions that define women empowerment. First, I believe that women are empowered if they are financially independent and enjoy the freedom of choice in living their life to the fullest. Empowerment also signifies their independence in managing risks, improving economic status and well-being.
Secondly, I am convinced that education is the key to women empowerment. Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. A literate girl and an educated woman are change makers who will empower their communities and uplift their countries to a better level.
Thirdly, I take the liberty to empower other women in discovering their skills and capabilities. Assumed responsibility and granted authority will make women stronger and more confident, therefore cognizant of their rights and privileges. Women are indispensable members of a society. Empowerment will help elevate the status of women and enhance their decision-making capacity at all levels in all spheres of life.
“Education is the key to women empowerment. Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.
