Monday, August 31, 2015

Thoughts on Empowerment

Since 1994, ASAP has been working to "empower" women and families with self-reliance. But what, exactly, is "Empowerment"?Jo Rowlands, in his book Empowerment Examined, identifies 'four powers' at work:

Women's Empowerment is serious business
Power within: personal self confidence and a sense of rights and entitlement
Power with: collective power, through organization, solidarity and joint action
Power to: the capability to decide actions and carry them out
Power over: the power of hierarchy and domination.

The African Development Bank is working to empower women to take a leading role in the business of agriculture. Click here to learn more.

There are still so many unanswered and difficult questions; Does women’s empowerment lead to increased domestic violence? Is power a zero-sum game? Click here to read a thought provoking discussion by Oxfam America's Gawain Kripkeon.

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