What Does the Term Empowerment Mean?
‘Empowerment’ began with the concept of ‘conscientisation’ coined in 1968, by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian academic. Defined as process to which an oppressed person perceives the structural conditions of oppression. Subsequently, through conscientisation, groups are able to take action upon oppressors. In other words, groups and people become critically aware and awareness turns into action.
The term empowerment took its origins from conscientisation in the 70s, with Barbara Bryant Solomon, writing about African-American communities. First used as an ethos for social workers to discourage paternalism, it meant engaging in a set of activities, with the client, that aim to reduce powerlessness, based on membership …show more content…
A woman can be the greatest singer in the world, wear a bin bag and she’d still be the greatest singer in the world. Can women be more empowered by their intellect or skills, rather than something brainless or vacuous? In this day and age can’t a woman’s appearance be irrelevant?
The biggest problem about ideals surrounding Kim Kardashian is that what does a naked selfie really do for humanity? For thousands of girls being mutilated from so called ‘female circumcision’ does this help them? Does it improve anything in the sense of gender equality? It doesn’t help equal treatment of men and women in work and human rights, it doesn’t eradicate discrimination, it doesn’t promote education or professional development. It doesn’t progress us.
Bill Gates once said “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others“. Empowerment has become a synonym for self-indulgent narcissism, identity politics can too often get distracted by those with the loudest voices and forgets those most in need of it. Women need to look beyond themselves and think, what we do to get real power? What would it be like to change the law, rather than accept it? Do we need to seek the validation of others, or do something to help those that are more vulnerable than
‘Empowerment’ began with the concept of ‘conscientisation’ coined in 1968, by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian academic. Defined as process to which an oppressed person perceives the structural conditions of oppression. Subsequently, through conscientisation, groups are able to take action upon oppressors. In other words, groups and people become critically aware and awareness turns into action.
The term empowerment took its origins from conscientisation in the 70s, with Barbara Bryant Solomon, writing about African-American communities. First used as an ethos for social workers to discourage paternalism, it meant engaging in a set of activities, with the client, that aim to reduce powerlessness, based on membership …show more content…
A woman can be the greatest singer in the world, wear a bin bag and she’d still be the greatest singer in the world. Can women be more empowered by their intellect or skills, rather than something brainless or vacuous? In this day and age can’t a woman’s appearance be irrelevant?
The biggest problem about ideals surrounding Kim Kardashian is that what does a naked selfie really do for humanity? For thousands of girls being mutilated from so called ‘female circumcision’ does this help them? Does it improve anything in the sense of gender equality? It doesn’t help equal treatment of men and women in work and human rights, it doesn’t eradicate discrimination, it doesn’t promote education or professional development. It doesn’t progress us.
Bill Gates once said “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others“. Empowerment has become a synonym for self-indulgent narcissism, identity politics can too often get distracted by those with the loudest voices and forgets those most in need of it. Women need to look beyond themselves and think, what we do to get real power? What would it be like to change the law, rather than accept it? Do we need to seek the validation of others, or do something to help those that are more vulnerable than