Women's Empowerment: The uneasy relation between theory and global policy

Over the past decade, most international donor agencies (IDAs) have come to endorse the concept of women’s empowerment, yet they seldom place it within a theory of gender transformation. MDG empowerment indicators covers... [ view full abstract ]

Over the past decade, most international donor agencies (IDAs) have come to endorse the concept of women’s empowerment, yet they seldom place it within a theory of gender transformation. MDG empowerment indicators covers health and employment in addition to education; nonetheless, the IDAs have simplified the meaning of empowerment by segmenting it rather than seeking their integration and equating schooling with women’s empowerment.

For the empowerment of women to emerge, their micro and macro-level economic and political empowerment is necessary, but so too is the knowledge that creates gender awareness and the psychological feelings that translate knowledge into action. Women need to be empowered but they cannot become their own agents for development and advancement unless helped by collective efforts. Their empowerment requires political action that goes beyond voting and having more women elected to political office to include their participation in non-state organizations, social movements, and social networks.

Against the theoretical arguments presented above several policies being proposed for the Post-2015 era will be analyzed, notably the SDGs. Questions to be considered are: (a) To what extent is attention to women’s empowerment maintained in international development policies? (b) If it does continue, does it include greater theoretical anchoring to the discussion of women’s empowerment? (c) What mechanisms are identified to promote action? and (d) What resources are associated with them? Responding to these questions will enable an assessment of the likelihood the next 15 years will offer a transformative phase in the attainment of improved social relations of gender.