“There is no group that needs to be empowered more than women and girls if we’re going to keep the march towards human freedom and progress going. The role and rights of women, their freedom and equality and dignity, is the unfinished business of the 21^st century.”

– Hillary Clinton, Half the Sky documentary

 

Over half of the world’s almost seven billion people are women. Women hold central roles in households throughout the developed and developing world. Yet 70% of the world’s poor are women, and women struggle to achieve economic empowerment regardless of their home country. Some in the United States and other developed nations may take women’s education, security, and career opportunities for granted, but in developing countries these basic rights are out of reach for many women and young girls. Instead, many women face the threat of exploitation, mutilation, and even death. This undoubtedly represents a crisis. The United Nations and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as institutions in the private sector, have pinpointed an effective potential solution: the social and economic empowerment of young girls. Far from simply serving as a trend or appealing marketing tool, women’s social and economic empowerment has proven critical to sustaining global growth in the long term.

 

Why empowerment is so important

Those who have grown up with relative privilege in the developed world may take for granted the importance of empowering women economically and socially. But a close look at the difficult conditions that some women must endure in some developing nations will undoubtedly tug heartstrings. These stories, coupled with more quantitative statistics on women’s economic growth potential, reveal why economically empowering women and girls is so important.

 

Sustainability in its most basic form refers to the capacity to survive and ultimately thrive. In their book, Half the Sky, journalists Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn highlight stories of women who overcame unfathomable hardships to promote women’s rights in various communities. Their PBS documentary of the same name profiles former rape victims, child prostitutes, and victims of female circumcision among others. The stories told are simultaneously tragic and inspiring, as each woman profiled has risen above her difficult circumstances to empower their communities. Many activists have founded organizations to support women and girls and save them from dangerous and exploitative circumstances. One woman, Kenyan Jane Ngoiri, particularly inspires as she rose from working as a prostitute to supporting her family through dressmaking (Half the Sky). A loan from a microfinance organization helped her transition her life, and she spoke passionately about the importance of empowering women to move local economies forward. Her earnings almost entirely go to her support her children’s education, so they will be able to attend universities and achieve socioeconomic mobility. In addition, women in her community who bring home wages have experienced a correlative drop in domestic violence (Half the Sky). Once males see the value of a woman’s work, the respect level within the community for women also rises. Ngoiri vocalized what researchers, consulting firms and corporations have long postulated: that women are most likely to reinvest earnings into the home and create a more stable, sustainable lifestyle for their children (Half the Sky). These reinvestments serve as propellers of opportunity for children, such that they may never need to struggle as their parents had. On the most fundamental level, empowering women is necessary to sustain the standards of international human rights. The economic benefits are also difficult to dispute.

 

Ernst and Young reported that closing the gender gap between male and female employment rates could improve developed countries’ GDPs by an average of around 12.67% (Brooke). Former UN Under-Secretary-General Michelle Bachelet observes that companies in developed countries with three or more women in board positions can achieve up to 53% more productivity than companies with more male-dominated boards (Bachelet). EY also reported that increasing women’s education to boost economic growth could increase income per capita in developing countries by as much as 14% above baseline projections (Brooke). This is due to the multiplier effect increased female participation would have on productivity and efficiency, as well as investment in the next generation. Former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright has noted that women reinvest 90% of their income into their families, compared with men who on average reinvest only 30-40% of their income. This, in spite of the fact that women’s nominal wages worldwide are 17% lower than men’s nominal wages (Bachelet).

 

The evidence clearly shows that sustainable economic growth in the long term must include women’s economic empowerment. In the next section, we will explore some important organizations that are empowering women worldwide.

 

Small steps, big impacts

Jane Ngoiri alluded to the importance of microfinance in helping improve her life. She received her loan from Jamii Bora, which coincidentally means “good families” in Swahili. Groups like Jamii Bora, Kiva, GiveWell and the Women’s Microfinance Initiative have played important roles in helping women achieve economic independence. Kiva’s website offers potential donors the chance to lend as little as $25 to make a difference. Kiva boasts six stories as examples of helping women achieve economic success in the developing world; most notable about all of the stories is the impact that the loan had not only on developing the woman’s business, but improving her family life. In several cases, the woman’s growing prosperity allowed her to hire workers and generate new income for her community (“Entrepreneur Profiles”). Thus, the sustainability of women’s economic empowerment moves beyond her immediate family and helps improve (however small) portions of a nation.

 

On the social empowerment end, Half the Sky several women who started foundations to empower women and young girls at risk for exploitation or mutilation. Institutions like the Rainbo Center in Sierra Leone, the Somaly Mam Foundation in Cambodia and the New Light Center in Calcutta’s Red Light District actively work to help women and young girls (Half the Sky). The activists heading up these organizations fight difficult battles to challenge longstanding views of women’s roles – in particular, the disposability of women and their lack of human rights. Occasionally the activists are unable to protect young girls from threats if their families are opposed to continued participation, but remain dedicated to their causes. For the activists, every person’s improved access to better services is a promise of a brighter future.

 

Looking forward

As a global community, we stand at the precipice of a human rights crisis if there is no further action on empowering women and girls. Though every small step has helped propel the movement for women’s economic and social empowerment forward, there is undoubtedly much work left to do. There are understandable difficulties with foreigners attempting to change traditions that limit women’s rights, so local-level involvement is key. Those in developed countries can help through providing microfinance loans, educating themselves on the issues, and raising awareness in their communities. Those in developing countries may see the activists profiled in Half the Sky as role models for affecting changes in their own communities, if their circumstances permit them to give back. An international effort is needed unlock the potential of the nearly 1 billion women worldwide lacking proper access to education, training and healthcare facilities (Half the Sky). Accomplishing this goal, and improving the social and economic conditions for women worldwide, will be the critical contribution our generation makes to human history.

 

Works Cited

Bachelet, Michelle. "Power: Women as Drivers of Growth and Social Inclusion." Social Inclusion Week Summit. United Nations Women. Peru, Lima. 16 10 2012. Lecture.

 

Brooke, Beth. "Groundbreakers." New York: Ernst and Young, 2009.

 

"Entrepreneur Profiles." Kiva. Kiva. Web.

 

Kristoff, Nicholas, perf. Half the Sky. Public Broadcasting Station: 01 10 2012. Film.