The concept of women’s empowerment has been consistently making headlines for the past few years. Feminist movements like #MeToo have been immensely powerful, allowing more women to share their stories and shine a light on gender inequality.
But what is the meaning of women empowerment ? Why is women's empowerment necessary ? And more importantly, what are the best ways to empower women today ?
What are the problems faced by women in society ?
In Western societies, women empowerment is often associated with the different phases of the women’s rights movement. They were mainly centered around women’s right to vote, reproductive rights, sexuality, gender pay gap as well access to education and the workplace. Today, the challenges have evolved and morphed into new issues, like the lack of women in positions of power, crippling patriarchy, sexism, economic inequality, navigating career and motherhood, and many more.
What are Women's Empowerment Principles ?
There is no official definition for women empowerment. As a matter of fact, the term has drawn criticism for implying that external forces empowers women, thus diminishing their own power, and some believe its meaning to be ambiguous.
Like many, we endorse the term only in the context of naming a process, since in reality, women empowerment is often the result of many factors, both internal and external.
How women around the world define women empowerment
“Women's empowerment is when women do not leave all the responsibility of the house in the control of men. But they share it. Especially the expenses. Women, you are beautiful, intelligent, wise, kind and above all: you have wings. You must learn fly [with] your own wings.”
“Empowerment should mean that women gain the ability to challenge and combat their oppression. In practice, it has come to mean marginally improving their material circumstances.”
“Women's empowerment is the enabling environment where a woman can raise her voice, make her own decisions and choose the life she wants to lead.”
Michelle Carpenter, project manager, Girl Stats :
“Autonomy.”
“For me, women's empowerment means that women have to power to fight for spaces of equality to be able to work in a job under equal conditions. Of course, without ignoring the physical differences and the differences in requirements that each gender has.”
What are the best ways to empower women today ?
The strategies used by women to empower themselves vary across cultures and situations.
In West Africa, tontines have been a forceful model of women empowerment, social cohesion, sisterhood, and bootstrapping agility for hundreds of years. These peer-to-peer savings circles, where female traders contribute fixed amounts to a common pot and take turns collecting the money after a certain period, have been a crucial source of business funding.
It is one of the most powerful aspects of African women emancipation and solidarity. Tontines are estimated to be worth 200 million of dollars a year in Senegal alone. They often replace the small business loan system for people who are unable to borrow money. It is a shining example of the transformative impact of the collective.
When we consider the challenges faced by women and the best ways to empower them, choosing cooperation over competition is paramount to leveraging the power of the pack and creaing exponential opportunities. Modern culture has conditioned us to be competitive. For jobs. For men's attention. For looks. Wrong strategy.
By being a woman who lifts other women, the power of collaboration and sisterhood comes through, everything will change, and we'll have more fun while doing it.
It's time to challenge the tired narrative that women aren't supportive of each other. In fact, research shows women are more likely to benefit from cooperation than competition. And that translates into greater success in life.
A Harvard Business Review study conducted in 2019 confirmed the power of sisterhood that African women have been practicing for hundreds of years. According to the study, both men and women benefit from being well-connected, but women with a close circle of female friends are more likely to land high-paying executive jobs, while men appear unaffected.
Other benefits of women empowerment include giving rise to inspirational female leaders that will embolden the next generations. This will create a virtuous circle for years to come as we know that empowered women empower women.
Support women-owned businesses
The question is: how do we amplify each other's voices and spread the Shine Theory, aka "When another woman rises, we all rise" ?
Well, the best way to promote women's empowerment is to support women-led businesses that do not rely on marketplace feminism (which is just another way capitalism exploits women - but more on that another day).
In 2021, the number of women running businesses on the Fortune 500 hit an all-time record : 41. Also for the first time, two Black women are running Fortune 500 businesses.
There is nothing we can’t achieve.
And while giving money to non-profit organizations and women's rights groups is honorable, we strongly believe that sustainable empowerment is about self-sufficiency and the ability to make our own choices. On top of that, women are 1.17 times more likely than men to found a business that doubles as a social venture. It’s all about cutting the middleman.
Innovative women are at the root of the African Prints trade
When you purchase African fashion from a women-owned business, you become a woman empowering other women. The African Prints trade - also called Ankara fabrics or Wax fabrics - is a strongly female-dominated industry in West Africa. It is usually overseen by a group of audacious and fierce women called Nana Benz or Mama Benz. Their strong business acumen and leadership qualities led some of them to build fortunes, and eventually, well... drive a Mercedes Benz !
Supporting and promoting women entrepreneurship is a prominent pathway to women empowerment. If you are wondering what to buy women as a gift, or telling yourself “I need to support women”, purchasing handmade African clothing is a great way to start.
By Noué is a multicultural inclusive project celebrating bold and talented women around the world. We are 100% Black-owned, Women-owned & Family-owned.
We partner with avant-garde women-owned businesses based in West Africa to create our collections of premium african summer dresses, maxi skirts, shorts, beach accessories, jewelry, colorful backpacks and home decor.
Sisterhood and transparency are at our core and we conduct business in a manner that respects and uplifts our entire supply chain, including Mother Earth.
Key takeaways
Actively seeking and purchasing from women-owned businesses is key for the promotion of women empowerment. Our wish is that one day, women empowerment will not need to be explained. That would mean the benefits have become an evidence, just like washing our hands. That would also mean women’s challenges have been addressed. And that would make our world a much better place to live in.