Women´s Empowerment And Gender Equality

Today is international women´s day! Women and girls are in today´s focus. People around the world start campaigns for women’s empowerment. People around the world appreciate what has already been done to make women stronger. People around the world talk about the issues and challenges girls and women still face in everyday life. People around the world discuss gender equality, girl’s education, and women´s empowerment. 

What is gender equality?

We hear this word everywhere, but do we know what it means? 

“Gender equality means that all humans are free to pursue whatever lifestyle, career, and what ability they want without discrimination. Their rights, opportunities, and access to society are not different based on their gender.” (Human Rights Careers)

First, we might think that everybody should be treated the same. The term gender equality describes that the needs of genders are different and therefore their access and opportunities should be adequate for them. Connected with “gender equality” is the term gender equity. Equity is the first step to finally reach equality between all genders. There is still a long process to balance the advantages that men have, between all genders, so there is a gender quality.

What are the benefits of gender equality?

The question of the benefits of equality is totally important because the range of benefits is huge. Gender equality has a significant positive impact on the world. 

Business becomes better! Studies show that gender diversity improves the organization and efficiency of a company.

The economy becomes stronger. Closing the gender pay gap plays an important role to strengthen the economy.

Having gender equality reduces the poverty. Girls and women count to the poorest in the world. Giving them opportunities and empower them will help them to overcome poverty and reduces the world´s poverty rate.

One more aspect that Human Rights Careers mentions is better health. Access to good healthcare is even more difficult for women and girls. Taking them seriously and having the same access to health care improves the overall health of society.

What is women´s empowerment and how does it affect gender equality?

Women´s empowerment is a very specific term that describes a strategy and method that, in the first steps, gives women and girls tools to become stronger so they can, in the second step, empower themselves to achieve their desired future. It means to strengthen them, so they can actively protect their rights and give them an equal voice to other genders in society.

Women´s empowerment plays a very important role in the process of achieving gender equality.

When girls and women have similar access to education, they have more chances to determine their own choices, and their rights to influence social change for themselves and society.

To achieve gender equality, it is fundamentally necessary to actively empower women all around the world. Doing this helps to give better access to education to girls. More girls will have basic and higher education (Check out the work of Nancy Etz). More women would be in the workplace and leadership. Families become stronger because the equality of genders strengthens every member in the family without having one leading strong and one following weak person. More women will participate in politics.

It needs awareness, education, and legislative support to get closer to gender equality. 

Let´s work together and make the world a better one!