Women empowerment being the focal point of discussion off late keeps getting the masses upset due to lack of insight and understanding. Now, to clearly understand what women empowerment stands for , let me briefly address the nature of a woman and what empowerment depicts too .
Who is a Woman?
A woman is literally a man with a womb to produce, create and nurture but in God’s sense, a HELP-MEET.
Qualities of a Woman
WORK
A woman is endowed with wisdom, skills, intuition, and knowledge.
She has the strength to work efficiently and the capacity to endure what others can’t.
She knows how to get things done within the shortest possible time due to her eagle eyes which forsee things.
A woman has the power to bounce back pain, focus on the core vision of the company and achieve greater works.
HOME
A woman is gifted with affection and care to bring peace and serenity in the home.
A woman is the wings of her family in which they safely fly to achieve greatness and impact.
She has an unbreakable Spirit which makes her fight for the happiness and success of her family.
She is the matron of the home, making sure all is satisfied.
She is the ornament that glamorously beautifies the home with her smiles always
RELATIONSHIP
A woman is the comfort of her man when the storms begins to rage.
She is her man’s energy booster cheering him on till success is irrevocably achieved.
She is that sweet pleasure of her man as she joyously satisfy his emotional needs with sweet words of honey and sugar.
Why does a woman need empowerment?
With reference to all the wonderful qualities above, one may confidently ask “why does a woman need empowerment” .
She needs empowerment due to the society’s beliefs and perceptions about her. The society sees the woman as weak and fragile therefore cannot partake in certain activities and roles in the world. Perception dangerously kills talents and dreams of many people because your perception about a person determines how you relate with him/her. In view of this , as the society undoubtedly sees women as weak and fragile, they treat them as such creating gender inequality in various sectors thus social, economic, political,health fraternities. Most women are either rejected or looked down upon in their pursuit of education and career in the society. My unquestionable questions are “how many women are in the medical field? How many women are in the law field? How many women are in the army ? How many women are in parliament ? Discrimination has killed the desires of many capable, willing and ambitious women to occupy such faculties.
Moreover, culture and traditions have done more harm than good to women in the society and world at large. For instance, the American culture teaches a child both male and female to boldly speak up, be educated but more privileges are wholly reserved and given to the men because their culture proves men to be capable more than women. In this same vein, African culture and traditions claim a woman’s place is in the kitchen, at home , tirelessly cooking, cleaning and making sure the family is fed for therefore no need for girl-child education. Even in decision making whether at home , work or school, it is highly expected of men by tradition to solely bring out ideas than women. This magnanimously proves to you women need empowerment amidst knowing their own qualities and abilities to break off the horns of discrimination and to relentlessly remove chains of inequality off their neck.
In addition, inferiority complex keeps taming women and helplessly out of contributing to social and political problems in the world. They prefer to be unnoticed than speak and be ignored. This deadly canker has destroyed many daring visions of women to achieve excellence as they feel unworthy and incapable of causing change in the society and world at large.
What’s empowerment?
Is the workable force and unlimited capabilities in grooming, nurturing and uplifting the visions, dreams and goals of a person and laying the path of making it achievable.
Empowerment uplifts and brings out the best in people.
Women Empowerment Is Not?
Teaching women they are superior to men . We are all equally created by God .
Informing and educating women to shun their domestic responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning and managing the home as PepperDem ministries insinuate.
Helping women fight for unnecessary rights and occupying higher positions they uprightly know they don’t qualify for.
Women Empowerment Is ?
Educating women the need for education and achieving their dreams and goals in life.
Boosting the morale of women to stay committed , faithful and the essence of working hard to earn success than using immoral ways to earn it.
Developing the talents and passions of women and using it rightfully to benefit themselves and the country at large.
How can women be empowered?
Women can be empowered through education. The need to teach the girl- child the importance of education and achieving success in life.
Encouraging women to partake in every decision making processes through occupying higher positions of their interest in politics, health, education among others.
Most developing countries are poor because many women are uneducated, unskilled and unable to contribute their quota to national development. If the society locks its discriminatory padlock against women and freely sees them to be capable, women would personally and freely empower themselves to be educated, become skillful, efficient and effective to contribute their quota of knowledge, intuition, money to national development.
What’s the Economic and Social Impacts of Women Empowerment?
ECONOMIC
Through educational empowerment, women become more useful in the country as they seek to engage in productive services such as entrepreneurship, managerial roles thereby contributing their quota to the payment of tax, generating revenue for government to provide basic infrastructure for its citizens such as water , electricity, good roads to mention but few.
As women magnificently occupy higher positions in politics, health, education , they offer their voices in speaking and fighting against corruption, providing necessary equipments needed for various health and educational sectors, thereby boosting the economy and making standard of living better as their motherly instincts always pave way for the right things to be done . An example can be drawn from the first and second ladies of Ghana, Mrs Rebecca Akuffo and Mrs Samira Bawumia who recently raised funds to construct an ultra modern maternity ward at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
Women empowerment reduces government burdens of providing employment for the masses as these women create businesses , employ as many as they can thereby reducing unemployment in the country. Also, it halfway curbs issues of street children, teenage pregnancies , child labor as these women become capable of providing all their children pertinent needs and instilling the right values of discipline and growth. This eases the government burden to allocating funds to solve such social issues.
SOCIAL
Women have the flare of sparking flame of excitement and love wherever they are found. Women empowerment will open doors of cross- country socialization as these empowered women with their education, knowledge and sociable personality will attract other developed countries to Africa.
It will also create friendly atmosphere for all visitors who occasionally visit the African countries as these empowered women can fluently interact with them and make their stay a memorable one.
It will also send an unquestionable report about Africa to the world that Africa is a hospitable continent with sociable, dignified women . This can create doors of marriage for many women.
An educated woman passes on her integrity to her children raising literates who also impact same discipline to their offspring thereby creating generational social thinkers.
Women empowerment is a positive force that will powerfully produce success and excellence among women and the ultimate key to social and economic growth as it outwardly create a country of massive development and highly educated , dignified citizens just as late Ghanaian educationist Dr Kwegyir Aggrey said ” if you educate a man , you educate a person but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation” . Priscilla Asamoah Baffour
