We explain what empowerment is and what the origin of the term is. Also, what is it in the work, gender and personal sphere.
What is empowerment?
Empowerment or empowerment (from English empowerment) It is the process of strengthening a person's capabilities, self-confidence, perspective and prominence or a group of people, with a view to promoting positive changes in society, modifying the role that said people play in it. In general, empowerment applies to marginalized, oppressed or discriminated people or groups of people, who are susceptible to reconsidering their place in society.
This process may have to do, specifically, with different fields of life, such as socioeconomic, labor, educational, cultural, among many others, since in essence it refers to the situation of compliance, oppression or handicap that many individuals occupy positions against the State and the majority opinion.
For example, sexually diverse minorities have been made invisible and marginalized for much of modern Western history, but since the last decades of the 20th century they have been empowering themselves, that is, organizing themselves, appearing on the public scene, among other things that allow them to assume a more active and combative role in society, and thus fight for their own interests.
The terms “empowerment” and “empower,” in fact, have had particular acceptance within social movements in favor of women's rights and sexual or gender diverse groups. However, apply to any social group that is considered to be in a situation of marginalization or submission.
Origin of the term “empowerment”
The term empower comes from the Marxist and post-structuralist schools of thought of the 20th century specifically from the work of Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) and Michel Foucault (1926-1984), who extensively studied the relationship between the State and individuals.
Both thinkers described, in their theoretical language, the methods with which the State exercises control over the people, whether through force and coercion, or the creation of consensuses (“truths”, according to Foucault) that force the individuals to think in a certain way.
So, Empowerment involves assuming a more active stance vis-à-vis the regulatory mechanisms of the State in order to exert enough pressure to introduce a change in society. This idea was also important in the postulates regarding popular education by Paulo Freire (1921-1997) in the 1960s, who defined it as the “reduction of vulnerability and increase of the capacities” of the sectors. vulnerable in society.
In later decades, the concept of empowerment was assumed by numerous social movements as a goal in the short and medium term, assuming that only through greater and more active participation of marginalized groups in the production of symbols and discourses, and in the control of material elements, can equality be achieved.
Women empowerment
As criticism and feminist thought have abundantly demonstrated, The role of women in society has traditionally been underestimated and diminished relegating them to a secondary position with respect to the role played by men. This not only implies the obligation to carry out unpaid household and family care work, but also to satisfy male demands on an aesthetic, sexual and emotional level.
This situation, which defines what feminist groups call “patriarchy”, has been fought from different angles by feminist thought, whose main tool for social action is, precisely, the empowerment of women.
By assuming a more active, autonomous and powerful role in society, women can leave behind the passive, fragile and submissive role that he previously occupied and integrate into the leadership of society alongside the male gender. This would allow it to transform society so that it is more equitable and egalitarian with respect to gender roles, and with respect to sexist dynamics that favor male protagonism.
Female empowerment can be summarized in the following principles:
- The promotion of gender equality in all areas, especially in the workplace and professional field in order to close the wage gap between men and women, and break the “glass ceiling” that prevents the latter from reaching management positions in most companies.
- Promoting equal social and legal treatment between men and women, the defense of human rights and non-discrimination based on gender.
- The fight for the visibility, normalization and attention of women's health needs as well as the necessary autonomy over their bodies in sexual and reproductive matters.
- Feminist education and with a gender perspective to combat traditional and/or religious sexist postulates that assign women a secondary place in culture.
Business empowerment
In the business field, we talk about empowerment or empowerment to refer to a management model that distances itself from the traditional and authoritarian roles of leadership, in which an order is given and subordinates simply obey, to move towards the empowerment of workers.
In this model Employees are given a greater share of autonomy, decision-making and responsibility towards the company which translates into a greater feeling of belonging, a greater possibility of job growth and greater ranges of work motivation.
Defenders of business empowerment warn that it produces greater benefits in the short, medium and long term, but that it requires a command structure capable of delegating authority and continuously training its employees. The idea behind the empowerment business is building an organization committed to itself that grows in multiple directions and that not only brings benefits for the shareholder, but also for the worker who grows within the company.
Personal empowerment
The idea that a person can be empowered, that is, can assume a more active and leading role in their own destiny, is also key in the field of personal development and self-help.
A person empowers himself when he takes control of his life by abandoning dependency to assume a greater share of sovereignty. The latter translates into greater self-confidence, greater self-esteem and greater ability to face decisions, especially those that are not easy to make.
Empowerment requires the abandonment of a submissive and dependent posture with respect to others, and the construction of one's own, dynamic and leading model.
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References
- “Empowerment” on Wikipedia.
- “Empowerment” in the Dictionary of Humanitarian Action and Development Cooperation.
- “What empowerment is and why you should apply it in your company” at the American University of Europe (Mexico).
- “Empower” in The Britannica Dictionary.
