What is women's empowerment?
Women's empowerment can be defined as supporting women's sense of self-worth, their ability to make their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others. It is a basic human right that is the key to achieving a more peaceful and peaceful world.
In Western countries, women's empowerment is often associated with certain stages of the women's rights movement in history. This movement began in the 19th and early 20th centuries, addressing the importance of suffrage.
The empowerment of women and the promotion of women's rights has emerged as part of a major global movement and continues to break ground in recent years. Days like International Women's Empowerment Day are also gaining momentum.
But despite great progress, women and girls continue to face discrimination and violence around the world.
Issues related to women's empowerment:
1. Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
The Women's Empowerment Principles, created in cooperation with the UN Global Compact and UN Women, are used to empower women in all areas of life, business and society.
Consisting of seven basic principles, WEPs aim to contribute to the private sector's strengthening its current work on gender equality, developing institutional policies and programs, and analyzing key indicators and reporting practices. WEPs consist of:
Principle 1: Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality
Principle 2: Treat all women and men fairly at work – respect and support human rights and nondiscrimination
Principle 3: Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers
Principle 4: Promote education, training and professional development for women
Principle 5: Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women
Principle 6: Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy
Principle 7: Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality
Yıldız Holding, which implemented the Yıldız Holding Women's Platform in order to transform the culture of equal opportunity in all its companies into a stronger and more permanent structure, signed the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs).
2. The global landscape of women's empowerment
Gender equality is a fundamental human right, and it is also the basis for a peaceful, prosperous world.
But girls and women continue to face significant challenges around the world. Women are typically underrepresented in power and decision-making roles. They receive unequal pay for equal work and often face legal and other barriers that affect their opportunities at work.
In the developing world, girls and women are often viewed as less valuable than men. Instead of being sent to school, they usually do household chores or get married before they become adults. 12 million underage girls are married each year.
While some progress has been made in various parts of the world, much remains to be done to correct gender inequality issues.
3. Why is it so important to empower girls and women?
The empowerment of women is essential to the health and social development of families, communities and countries.
Women can reach their full potential while living safe and productive lives, adding their skills to the workforce and raising happier and healthier children. They can also help nurture sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity in general.
An important part of this empowerment goes through training. Educated girls can pursue meaningful work later in life and contribute to their country's economy. Also, with eight years of education, they are four times less likely to marry young, meaning they and their families are healthier.
4. How does World Vision help empower women?
We believe that healthy, educated and strong women and girls are agents of change.
When women and girls are supported, they have opportunities to voice their rights and also to defend their communities. They can also rise in social status and pass this on to future generations. This means that women's organizations, women's empowerment policies and women's charities can gain momentum and contribute to a stronger world.