As we mentioned before, women make up half of the world’s population. In fact, they account for over 50% of all workers worldwide! This makes it crucial to include their empowerment as an important factor when trying to help communities develop and succeed in the global economy.
In developing countries, where most people live without access to education or health care, empowering women is one way to address those issues. By educating women, providing them with opportunities to work, and protecting them from gender-based violence, you increase overall opportunity for society. You also reduce intergenerational poverty.
This article will talk more about why female empowerment is essential in developing nations and some strategies that can be used to promote it. So stay tuned and read on!
Why is women’s empowerment important in developing countries?
Most experts agree that investing in and helping empower women is a worthy cause. Some even describe it as a moral imperative because of what men have already done to deprive women of their own agency.
But there are much better reasons to invest in women’s equality than just humanitarianism. At least six major benefits exist.
1) Economic development
One of the biggest reasons why women’s rights are considered important is due to the role they play in economic growth.
As we discussed earlier, nearly two-thirds of working-age adults around the globe are made up of 25 million young professionals (aged 15-29).
Gender equality leads to positive outcomes
Equality for women is a worthy goal, but only if it is done properly. Too often, developing country governments that aim to empower women through educating them or giving them jobs take an extreme approach that lacks effectiveness.
Some programs give every woman a job with no qualifications needed, which may not work at all. Other programs require students to be trained in how to do certain things on a very basic level, making it difficult to teach more advanced skills later. A third option is having educated women of good moral character who are hired exclusively, leaving less opportunity for others.
This article will talk about why gender equality is important to developing countries, and what can be done to improve it.
Gender equality encourages women to get an education
Educating girls is one of the most effective ways to help them break out of the cycle of poverty. When they are educated, they can begin to enjoy more economic opportunities like employment beyond serving as a household manager or raising children.
Educated women also tend to participate more actively in their communities and cultures, leading to stability for themselves and their families. They may even become influential leaders who promote gender equality and change in their country.
In fact, every year since 2005, the World Economic Forum has conducted a survey to determine the top 10 global changes that will make life better for the average person. In each case, improving the status of females is at least a key part of the solution.
Education is one of the biggest factors in changing the situation because it opens up opportunities that were closed off due to sex-based stereotypes and biases. It gives people of all genders valuable skills that they can use to succeed in life.
Women are more likely to seek political power
Recent studies show that women make up half of all voters, with some countries having as many as 70 percent voter turnouts due to the efforts of female politicians. In fact, there have been an increasing number of examples where women alone or in collaboration with men hold elected positions.
In Turkey, for example, three out of every four legislators are made up of only one gender, which makes it the first country in the world to achieve this goal!
This trend towards greater representation has become increasingly common throughout history. Ancient Greece was no exception, as both male and female leaders actively participated in politics.
However, since then, things have started going downhill. Over time, social institutions such as schools and work environments became completely dominated by either males or females. This is why it is so important to empower all individuals — not just certain groups.
By giving everyone equal opportunity to learn and grow, we help create a culture where people feel confident in themselves and their place in society. We should be promoting equality, not creating more unequal systems.
Women are more likely to seek economic opportunities
As we mentioned before, women make up half of all workers worldwide! This means that if employment numbers stay the same, there would be an extra 1 million jobs for men alone!
This is not very helpful when most men feel that their job positions are being threatened by technology or changing social norms. There has also been a growing concern about how much money men are earning compared to what average people can live on.
So why should we care about having equal opportunity for employment? Because it changes the perception of who belongs to the elite class and who does not.
If everyone has the chance to pursue his/her career dreams, then it lessens the stigma surrounding jobs that require more education and experience. It also gives others permission to follow their dreams too, since anyone could do anything they want if they put in enough effort.
Furthermore, giving individuals control over at least part of their livelihood removes the fear of loss which often prevents them from seeking out new experiences. When you feel like you have nothing left to lose, you are more likely to try things that might fail.
There are gender differences in many areas
Many studies show that there are systematic, structural inequalities between men and women in our society that contribute to why some people remain at a higher socioeconomic level than others.
These include things like how much money individuals earn (the income inequality gap), whether or not individuals have access to education or health services, what positions they hold in government and business, and how their leadership styles differ from those of other groups.
There is also evidence that these societal structures can influence someone’s perception of themselves as an individual — something we call “psychological discrimination.”
This happens when one group discriminates against another because of their perceived status. For example, if you believe that your social class is lower than that of others, then you may feel less confident in your own abilities.
Gender-related psychological discrimination is very common. It exists across all countries, cultures, and religions, and it has serious long-term effects.
Studies suggest that it contributes to poorer mental and physical health, including increased risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease. In addition, it can lead to feelings of low self-esteem and depression. These effects can last well into old age.
It was once considered socially acceptable to be discriminatory towards people based on their sex. However, today this type of behavior is seen as deeply unfair and even harmful.
That is why it is important to address the issue of gender equality at every opportunity.
Women face unique challenges in developing countries
There are many reasons why women’s empowerment is important to developing nations, but one of the top ones is that it helps create sustainable development.
Sustainable development means living within natural resources and keeping an eye on how much waste you produce. Obviously, having more equal opportunities for men and women will help reduce inequality, increase productivity, and save money by reducing employee turnover and time spent recruiting, hiring, and training new employees.
It also has positive effects on mental health as studies have shown that when people feel like their government represents them, they are happier. In some cultures, women are not given the same rights as men which can lead to depression or suicide. By giving women these rights, we promote overall wellness.
We should all strive to work towards creating environments where everyone feels safe, included, and able to succeed.
Women’s empowerment is important for economic growth
As we have seen, women make up half of all workers worldwide, and they spend their time mostly taking care of homes and families. They are also usually responsible for doing most of the work to put food on the table while their husbands/partners enjoy more expensive food at restaurants every night.
In developing countries like India, where poverty is rampant, this situation can be even worse. Because there are not enough resources to feed everyone, men often go hungry while their wives and children starve.
Women with higher education and employment opportunities are able to avoid starvation by spending money on groceries and investing in our society, but these things are limited to only a few.
For the rest of the population, access to education and job opportunities is extremely limited, which prevents them from escaping the cycle of poverty.
The gender gap in wages is a serious problem
Globally, there are vast differences in pay between men and women. In fact, even when controlling for education level, occupation, and position, women earn only 80% of what men make. This inequality has significant consequences beyond just income; it impacts everything from a woman’s chance at career advancement to her perception of how much she should ask for in compensation and benefits.
Not only does this hurt individual women, but it also hurts our society as a whole. When almost half of all workers are paid less than their male counterparts, we lose out on billions of dollars in revenue every year. We also lose out on the economy of up-spiraling morale that exists when people feel valued and rewarded for their work.
Another important factor here is that once you have children, your salary drops, so employers may not realize that having kids makes you unable to perform your job effectively. This can be especially damaging if they promote you or give you raises while you’re pregnant or trying to bring babies into the world.
On top of all this, research shows that equality boosts mental health and overall well-being. So narrowing the wage gap is one way to help individuals find more balance and happiness in their lives. It also helps create an environment where people feel safe asking for things and giving honest feedback.
This article will talk about some ways to close the gender wage gap in developing countries.
