Empowering Women

The roles of women are gradually evolving to embrace what modern society offers them. Women are becoming empowered through education, jobs, promotions, through law and many other forms. It is not only seen in developed countries, it is also seen in developing countries as in the Pacific. Women are progressively being empowered to hold positions other than their traditional ones. Women being empowered have many advantages and disadvantages but it all comes down to three things: economic, social and political advantages and disadvantages.
Firstly, the economic advantage of empowering women is that it helps improve their families’ living standards. Whether married or single, empowering of women, through an education or other means, helps to improve their family’s economic and financial standing. For example, according to Leach (1986, pp. 55-56), an estimated one-third of global households are headed by women, and they are responsible for feeding their families. Empowerment in the form of an education can secure for them a job, and hence ensures the continuance of their households. It is therefore clear that an empowered woman is important for the vitality of her household.
Furthermore, empowered women are socially advantaged because it upgrades their social standing in society. In many countries, women are thought inferior to men, especially in developing countries. For example, “Swargo nunut neroko katut” means “Going to heaven or hell, a woman will merely go along with her husband” (Chrysanti 1998, p. 87). From this Javanese saying, it is possible to say that a married woman is limited by having no say in matters of the Javanese society, as even to the afterlife she is to follow her husband. Their being empowered may allow people in their society to seek advice from them, as they may be considered higher in standard by others. It is then safe to say that when women are empowered, they may have a higher standing in society than if they were not empowered.