Global Awareness Program

Economic Empowerment

GAP Activity

You are given $1000. Which box do you put your money in?

Box 1: Power & Agency (skills, confidence, support, etc.)

Box 2: Financial Support (loans, money, financial capacity to start business, etc.)

Ways in Which Women Are Economically Disempowered:

• Women not having control over earnings• Not being able to hold jobs• Limited choices for jobs• Lack of agency• Lack of education• Have to stay at home• Not allowed to inherit property

Why is it important to economically empower women?

• Statistically, women invest more in their children

• Poverty reduction• Gender equality• Make economy stronger – locally and

nationally

Resources To Achieve Economical Empowerment:

Examples:• Human capital education, training• Financial capital loans, savings• Social capital networks, mentors• Physical capital land, machinery

(From: Understanding and Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment: Definition, Framework and Indicators)

Economic Empowerment

Definition: “A woman is economically empowered when she has both the ability to succeed and advance economically and the power to make and act on economic decisions.”

Two components: ability to succeed/advance economically

power and agency

“To succeed and advance economically, women need the skills and resources to compete in markets, as well as fair and equal access to economic institutions.

To have the power and agency to benefit from economic activities, women need to have the ability to make and act on decisions and control resources and profits.”

(From: Understanding and Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment: Definition, Framework and Indicators)

Turns out…

…one is not more important than another. Both are equally as important!

There is a dynamic and complex relationship between power & agency and financial support to economically empower a

woman.

It’s important for NGO’s and government programs to focus on both and not just focus on one. This is/can be an issue for

many NGO’s and government programs. By incorporating both into their programs, they can successfully empower a

woman financially and economically.

Source:

Understanding and Measuring Women's Economic EmpowermentDefinition, Framework

and IndicatorsAnne Marie Golla, Anju Malhotra, Priya Nanda

and Rekha Mehra 2011