Dissertations / Theses: 'Gender and Empowerment'

1

MariÌn, Rosa Elena RianÌƒo. "Women's empowerment : an avenue to gender equality?" Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.427143.

Full text

Abstract:

The aim of this research is to investigate whether and how women's financial contributions to household resources might lead to changes in gender relations. It feeds directly into current concerns about women's empowerment and gender equality which are on the agenda of international and national bodies, scholars and development practitioners and is anchored in the debate about the importance of women's income-earning activities for achieving gender equality. The research focuses on relationships between women and men in a poor rural settlement in northeastern Mexico. The thesis details the negotiating and bargaining processes between women and men in 23 households and examines how these relationships and the identities of the women and men involved are influenced by the context in which they are embedded. This context includes the community itself as well as government policy as experienced through income generating projects, and wider Mexican cultural norms. The research findings support the argument that incomeearning activities alone will not result in the changes often sought by development practitioners and feminists, and now also by governments worldwide. Wider changes in the cultural and economic environment are also needed to change the perceptions of self and others that individuals bring to their gender relations. These changes in perception are central to maintaining or reinforcing changes in gendered power relations. The research findings pointed to no significant changes in women's and men's identities, and motherhood continues to be the only source of power for rural women whose economic contributions are under-valued. The structures of power within which poor rural women, with a limited resource base and limited social networks, carry out their income-earning activities do not create an enabling environment for transformatory changes to occur in their gender relations

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Buckley, Mary Ellen. "Beyond the rhetoric of empowerment, a critical analysis of gender, participation and empowerment." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ57274.pdf.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Baglund, Miriam Aclima. "Gender and empowerment in Bawku West District, Ghana." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Geografisk institutt, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-23017.

Full text

Abstract:

Based on an intersubjective understanding between the researcher and the participants from Bawku West District, Ghana, this thesis examines how a local NGO that aims to empower women in terms of knowledge and access to land, has influenced the everyday life of women and men in a rural patriarchal community. The intersubjective understanding is a result of a feminist research approach focusing on subjective experiences emerging out of focus group discussions and participatory observation. The thesis assesses how empowerment and gender are understood and argues that diversity in interpretation of those concepts affects the impact of empowerment. Through the usage of a gender lens in the field and in the analytical process, the author acknowledges that men need to be included in the process of empowering women in order to avoid a feminization of obligations and responsibilities. In order for women empowerment to strengthen the level of cooperation within families, men should be given training in reproductive skills. Empowerment needs to be looked at in relation to the existing power and emotional relations between husband and wife. Together with subjectivity, symbolic representations and institutions, gender relations are subject to both change and continuity. When it comes to bargaining patriarchy; ethnical customs and religious norms have to be looked at more carefully because they can both impede and support women empowerment.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

Pang, Sila. "Gender equity: women’s political empowerment in South Korea." Thesis, Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/45236.

Full text

Abstract:

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
South Korea has undergone many drastic transformations from the time the state formally emerged in 1948 until now, becoming a thriving democracy and the world’s 12th-largest economy. Women in South Korea have enjoyed many aspects of this recovery and rise. According to the 2013 World Economic Forum’s Annual Gender Gap Index, South Korea’s women today have the highest literacy and healthy life expectancy rates in the world. Yet according to the same index, South Korea placed 111th out of 136 countries in gender equality. While this index highlights the need for further improvement, the ranking does not illustrate the whole story of how far Korean women have progressed in their political empowerment. Conventional measurements describe Korean women’s political empowerment status as unfavorable, but closer examination paints a different picture. Increasing economic status, higher education, and strengthening social capital have allowed Korean women to be more involved in civic life, and as a result, to make greater demands for equal representation in politics. All of these factors suggest a trend of continuous progress toward increased political empowerment.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

Rowlands, Joanna Mary. "Empowerment examined : an exploration of the concept and practice of women's empowerment in Honduras." Thesis, Durham University, 1995. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1424/.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Mills, Sophie Odile Marie-France. "Housing the household : gender and empowerment in South Africa." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2004. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2295/.

Full text

Abstract:

Based on in-depth interviews carried out with men and women in both male and female-headed households in the townships of Khayelitsha and Philippi in Cape Town, South Africa, the thesis examines the impact of housing finance and participation in housing projects on intra-household gender relations. The importance of the projects to the low-income, mainly female Xhosa participants is explored, not only as a means of delivering physical shelter with resulting improvement in quality of life, but also as an empowering process. In particular the impact of an external factor on power relations between men and women in male-headed households is explored, through changes in decision-making abilities and control over household resources. Following on from these shifts, and echoing wider societal changes in South Africa and beyond, the notion of a 'crisis in masculinity' is explored. The role of emotions in decision-making is highlighted, particularly in response to models and theories which exclude the emotional context of household power relations. Key findings include the degree to which empowering women outside the household does not necessarily result in a similar shift in status within the household; and the extent to which men consider their traditional authority and position as household heads undermined by their perception of growing 'women's rights'. Women living within female-headed households also present a strong case for the increasing breakdown of the traditional nuclear household, through their representation of marriage and partnership with men as not only emotionally but also economically unstable. The destabilisation of marriage is generally regarded as more problematic by men, who experience a loss of power when these fail, than by women who reported a preference for female headship. Issues raised during the fieldwork illustrate the need for an exploration of the meaning of terms such as household, headship, decision-making and empowerment, particularly where these are used in models of the household.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Robson, Elsbeth. "Gender, space and empowerment in rural Hausaland, northern Nigeria." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2002. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e40bc658-dff2-4876-a845-090a2552457a.

Full text

Abstract:

Reducing gender inequalities by enabling women's empowerment is a major focus of the literature and practices of gender and development. The work of this thesis contributes to debates about female empowerment, especially for peasant women in peripheral capitalist economies. The central themes of enquiry are power relations of gender and space in the socio-economic processes in which peasant households and their members are embedded. The focus of investigation is the extent to which commodity exchange outside the household reinforces, or reduces, women's position of power/disempowerment. The central question taken for analysis is whether income earning via trading empowers women, thus reducing their subordination. This hypothesis is widely accepted. Many NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and other development institutions base efforts around the notion that income earning is liberating for women. This hypothesis is investigated for rural Hausa women in Northern Nigeria who are secluded within their homes by the religio-cultural practice of purdah, but who engage in trade, often through the agency of children. The major empirical part of the study develops and applies an original framework for analysis of empowerment that identifies and maps gender divisions of labour and space in the spheres of production, reproduction and circulation in which rural Hausa men and women are embedded. The overall conclusion reached is that gender divisions of work, both inside and outside rural Hausa households, and especially in trade, reflect and sustain the subordination of women and their inferior position relative to men, especially through the control of space. The notion of income earning as universally empowering for women does not hold because rural Hausa women engaged in the market are not significantly empowered by their income earning because of the complex realities of patriarchy whereby women have weak bargaining powers.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Andriamasinalivao, Rajaofera Beby Alyette. "Gender and female empowerment in Malagasy folktales and oratory." Thesis, Université de Paris (2019-....), 2020. http://www.theses.fr/2020UNIP7142.

Full text

Abstract:

Les rapports entre les hommes et les femmes dans le contexte malgache sont souvent définis en termes de complémentarité des sexes qui se démarquent par la prétendue absence de l’inégalité des sexes, ce qui remet en question l’oppression des femmes. Cependant, la diversité des représentations des rapports sociaux de sexe dans les différentes régions de Madagascar ne reflète pas toujours ce point de vue généralisé, d’où l’intérêt d’effectuer une étude contextuelle de la représentation des hommes et des femmes ainsi que les relations de pouvoir qui constituent leurs interactions. Nous nous proposons d’analyser le contexte des contes publiés au 19è siècle jusqu’à nos jours ainsi que les contes contemporains contés par des conteurs/conteuses malgaches afin d’appréhender l’évolution des perceptions des différences entre les sexes dans les contes malgaches produits durant cette période. Notre analyse se focalise également sur l’évolution de la participation des femmes malgaches au discours oratoire lors d’événements importants qui définissent la culture malgache, tels que la demande en mariage et les funérailles. Notre étude porte principalement sur la façon dont les différences entre les sexes se traduisent en inégalité des sexes et en relations asymétriques dans le contexte malgache. En tenant compte du contexte actuel qui prône l’égalité des sexes dans tous les domaines, particulièrement celui du développement, nous essayons de déterminer les implications des discours sur l’égalité des sexes sur la perception des différences entre les hommes et les femmes et les rapports sociaux de sexe dans les contes et le discours oratoire malgaches. Nous étudions particulièrement la façon dont les différences entre les hommes et les femmes et les structures des rapports sociaux de sexe constituent un obstacle ou un tremplin à l’empowerment des femmes qui représente une étape majeure pour mettre en œuvre les principes sur l’égalité des sexes
Gender relations in the Malagasy context are often conceptualised in terms of complementarity with a relative denial of the existence of overt male dominance and female oppression and a marked insistence on female superiority. Nevertheless, the diversity of the representations of gender relations in the different regions of Madagascar does not always reflect this generalised pattern, which points to the necessity of a contextual analysis of the representation of men and women and the power relations that structure their interactions. The present study focuses on the notions of masculinity and femininity as well as the power relations between men and women in a selection of Malagasy folktales that were written and published from the 19th century to the present and the contemporary performance of oratory discourses by orators from Antananarivo and Paris. Drawing on surveys and interviews with a selection of storytellers and orators, as well as the observation of storytelling and oratory performances, the study highlights the ways in which gender differences are translated into gender inequality, which tend to limit the possibilities for female empowerment. The main arguments that are presented in the research stress the prevalence of male dominance and female subordination as can be observed in the variety of the male and female characters’ experiences in the selected folktales and the current experiences of female orators in the field of oratory performance. Two possible itineraries for female empowerment are explored based on contemporary storytellers’ perceptions and representations of gender in their works and the audience’s responses to the latter

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Ferrari, Giulia. "Economic evaluation of gender empowerment programmes with a violence prevention focus : objective empowerment and subjective wellbeing." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2016. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3401/.

Full text

Abstract:

Prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) is high the world over, and in sub-Saharan Africa, between 30% and 66% of ever-partnered women aged 15 or over have experienced IPV at least once in their lifetime, and 37% on the African continent. Power imbalance in the household and unequal access to resources are often identified as triggers of violence. Microfinance interventions provide women with access to financial resources as well as soft-skills training (MF-plus). Evidence of microfinance’s impact on IPV is still however contradictory, often confined to observational cross-sectional studies, with narrow definitions of IPV, and no clear link with a process of empowerment. This thesis addresses these limitations by (i) analysing data from the randomised control trials (RCTs) of two microfinance and training interventions in sub-Saharan Africa aimed at reducing IPV; (ii) defining a conceptual framework for the analysis of impact that I term eudaimonic utility (EUD) and linking this with empowerment indicators; and (iii) interpreting this evidence with reference to sociological and economic models of IPV. EUD is the self-actualisation component of psychological measures of wellbeing (WB). I derive EUD from the triangulation of the construct of wellbeing I found in the milieu of sub-Saharan African women targeted by one of the interventions, psychological indices of wellbeing, and properties of plural utility functions. It comprises three psychological dimensions: autonomy (deciding for oneself), meaningful relations with others (maintaining mutually supportive and emotionally meaningful relationships) and environmental mastery (ensuring that the external environment is conducive to one’s flourishing). For the analysis of intervention impact, I group empowerment indicators on the basis of the factor analysis associations with EUD dimensions. Impact estimates suggest that women who access MF-plus services gain more control over their own time, experience improvement in proxies of eudaimonia, and experience reduced IPV exposure. Women who trained in negotiation skills in addition to access to financial services experience limited increase in cooperation with their spouses, but no IPV reduction.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Bradley, AnneMarie Egtved. "Games for understanding a constructivist curriculum that promotes gender empowerment /." College Park, Md. : University of Maryland, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/1435.

Full text

Abstract:

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2004.
Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Kinesiology. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Alsarhan, Jawaher. "Gender and Racial Empowerment in Selected Works of Maya Angelou." DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center, 2019. http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/cauetds/162.

Full text

Abstract:

This study examines Maya Angelou as a powerful African-American woman in the twentieth century who impacted generations of African Americans. Her biographies and selected works speak strongly and wisely about gender and racial empowerment. This empowerment was sown in her childhood and could be traced throughout her life. It is also a fact that seldom does the realization of one’s race and gender take place at such an early age as with Maya Angelou. She was highly marginalized not only in terms of gender but also in terms of race with acute consciousness.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Kou, Aune Kajsa. "Women's Empowerment and Gender-based Violence in Post-Conflict Liberia." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-323541.

Full text

Abstract:

Previous research on empowerment of women has tried to show a correlation between empowerment and a reduction of gender-based violence. Some studies confirm that correlation and it is argued that especially economic empowerment is key to such a correlation. However, the correlation based on economic empowerment is disputed, and some scholars argue that economic empowerment is not sufficient to tackle structural issues based on power inequalities, such as gender-based violence. This study will build on the latter argument in the debate of empowerment, and will use the case of post-conflict Liberia to support this discussion. In post-conflict Liberia, significant efforts to empower women have been made and yet, high levels of gender-based violence remain. By examining two official policy documents directed toward reduction of gender-based violence and enhancement of women’s empowerment, this thesis concludes that there is a lack of recognition of gender relations structured around an unequal distribution of power, in the two documents. The study will therefore end with the argument that in order to create empowerment of women that reduce issues such as gender-based violence, strategies to enhance women’s empowerment need to account for gender relations based on power dynamics.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

Wafeq, Nabila. "Shifting Perspectives: Changing Policies Promoting Women’s Empowerment in Afghanistan." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/20503.

Full text

Abstract:

THESIS ABSTRACT In this thesis, I attempt to identify major obstacles that are challenging the implementation of international human rights treaties in Afghanistan. With a focus on the treaties that promote women’s rights and prevent violence against women in a post-conflict situation. There are several obstacles including lack of rule of law and the existence of customary practices in Afghanistan. Despite these challenges, there are national legislations and policies that promote women’s rights and empowerment in Afghanistan. However, for women’s empowerment, it is not sufficient to have supportive laws and policies, but there is need for a systematic transformation of patriarchal structures by conducting a thorough gender analysis and ensuring gender mainstreaming. The Afghan government, as part of its commitment to the international community, has to take measures for removing obstacles and ensuring the implementation of human rights treaties in order to pave the way for women’s empowerment in Afghanistan.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Mackey, Kari An. "Mobile Phones and Gender Inequality: Can We Hear Her Now?" Digital Archive @ GSU, 2012. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/political_science_theses/52.

Full text

Abstract:

Are mobile phones the best vehicle for reducing gender inequality in the developing world? ICT experts champion the use of mobile phones to improve women’s lives, and various stakeholders have invested millions of dollars to launch mobile phone programs for women. Yet, given high female illiteracy rates, patriarchal societies, and other structural and cultural barriers in developing countries, many scholars contend that limited access to ICTs can perpetuate gender inequality. Rooted in the theory that women’s empowerment and equality are inseparable and necessary components for the realization of sustainable economic and social development, this paper aims to determine if stakeholders are jumping on the mobile phone bandwagon too soon by using a multivariate regression of cross national data to demonstrate whether or not mobile phones fall short of advancing women at the same rate that men develop.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Carvalho, Andreia Margarida Pereira de. "A importância do empowerment da mulher para o desenvolvimento." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/4395.

Full text

Abstract:

Mestrado em Desenvolvimento e Cooperação Internacional
O trabalho que se apresenta centra-se na temática da importância do empowerment da mulher para o desenvolvimento. Procura fornecer uma série de ferramentas que permitam o estudo e aprofundamento dos conhecimentos do leitor nesta área. No capítulo I é feita uma contextualização que esclarece conceitos como empowerment feminino, género, capabillity approach, entre outros. É também, realizada uma breve introdução a diversas teorias do desenvolvimento como o Washington Consensus, Pós Washington Consensus, Paradigma do Desenvolvimento Humano consolidando, deste modo, o fio condutor que nos guia ao longo de todo o estudo. O capítulo II aborda a questão dos Objectivos de Desenvolvimento do Milénio (ODM) que, pela sua actualidade e pertinência, não poderiam deixar de ser explanados. Demonstra-se a importância que estes têm na promoção do papel da mulher sendo referenciados, em pormenor, os ODM ligados à Educação e Saúde. O terceiro capítulo debruça-se sobre a importância do empowerment da mulher para o desenvolvimento. Através de informação estatística actualizada definimos o papel desempenhado pela mulher na sociedade e sublinhamos que a integração equitativa da mulher pode ser benéfica para o desenvolvimento. Por último, no capítulo IV analisamos um projecto internacional implementado na Guiné-Bissau, que nos permite fazer uma conexão entre a vertente teórica e a execução prática das teorias explanadas durante a dissertação. Com este estudo de caso conseguiremos demonstrar que a integração da mulher nas comunidades aos níveis cultural, social e económico permite o alcance de mais e melhor desenvolvimento. Assim, é necessária a integração da mulher para a promoção do desenvolvimento.
The present work debates on the importance of woman empowerment to the development. Focusing on the least developed countries, and by making a comparison with Portugal, it aims to provide the necessary analytical tools to further the subject and grant a thorough knowledge of the matter. In order to introduce the issue and strengthen the readers knowledge, the first chapter clarifies concepts such as women empowerment, gender, and capability approach and makes a short overview on relevant theories like Washington Consensus, Post Washington Consensus and Human Development Paradigm. Chapter two focuses on the Millennium Development Goals. We describe and analyze the importance and impact of these goals on the women empowerment endeavor. Due to the large scope of this set of goals we narrowed our study to the Educational and Health topics. On the third chapter we enunciate the reasons why we believe women have an important and decisive role on development. Through updated statistical data, we explain the role of women in society and we stress that the equity between men and women has a positive impact on the development of communities and regions. Chapter four closes our work by analyzing an international project implemented in Guinea-Bissau. This project enables us to better understand how theory meets practice. With this case-study we are able to prove that by integrating women in the cultural and economical lives of their communities, a larger development can be achieved. Thereby gender equity is necessary to the development.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Josefsson, Jenny. "Female Empowerment and HIV : Fighting Gender Roles and a Deadly Disease." Thesis, Södertörn University College, School of Life Sciences, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-698.

Full text

Abstract:

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of female empowerment and NGOs in HIV-prevention. A case study from Babati, northern Tanzania, is presented as part of my investigation and will affiliate theory with reality. Further the study is based on feminist and postcolonial theory as well as gender perspectives on HIV and AIDS.

A persons gender determines how vulnerable that person is to HIV and related consequences; I will claim that HIV and AIDS threaten women to a greater extent then men and that women’s abilities to empowerment are negatively affected as well. I will also claim that female empowerment is a necessary mean to prevent HIV and that this involves a more profound change than solely equal distribution of resources.

My study will show how female subordination permeates all societal structures and how this is perceived by NGOs and others in Babati when addressing the HIV- pandemic and its effect on women. I will describe the grass-root actions taken by the NGOs to deal with this and what obstacles they encounter.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Deshpande, Chitra. "Empowerment through Hindu nationalism? : examining gender relations in the Shiv Sena." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2005. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ab20698f-d74f-441e-be60-dbfd625b0114.

Full text

Abstract:

This dissertation explores whether women and men can be empowered through cultural nationalism based on religious/ethnic identities. Religious fundamentalism is typically not associated with women's empowerment. As a patriarchal, Hindu nationalist party that advocates violence, the Shiv Sena is also an unlikely agent of women's empowerment. Yet, the Sena has been attracting numerous women who claim to have gained confidence through the party. Using the Shiv Sena as my case study, I interviewed four male and seven female Shiv Sena members using the biographic narrative method. By examining their biographic narratives and interviews of their families and colleagues, I was able to delineate the different empowerment cycles for men and women in Shiv Sena and determine each participant's level of empowerment. The empowerment framework defined by Jo Rowlands (1997), which distinguishes between personal, collective, and relational empowerment, serves as the basis of my assessment of women's and men's empowerment. As violence is generally disregarded as a means of empowerment, I discuss it in relation to the construction of empowering cultural identities. While establishing theoretical frameworks regarding empowerment, cultural identity and gender, I also examine the disempowerment of Maharashtrians (whom Shiv Sena originally represented) by the socio-economic and historical conditions of Bombay, India. I then demonstrate how Shiv Sena, led by its Chief, Bal Thackeray, has constructed a new hegemonic masculine identity for Maharasthrian men as a means of empowerment. In the final chapters, I examine Shiv Sena's impact on the lives of individual women and men. This analysis revealed that despite the patriarchal constraints imposed by the Sena, women were becoming personally empowered in both the private and public spheres. In contrast, while Shiv Sena men were achieving collective empowerment in the public sphere, they had more difficulty becoming personally empowered in both the home and workplace.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

Petrakis, Lauren M. "Breaking Boundaries: The Empowerment of Women Through Architecture." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1427898873.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

Regmi, Shibesh Chandra. "Gender issues in the management of water projects in Nepal." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.326573.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Nörby, Alexandra. "Why Now? : Analyzing Processes for Gender Empowerment in Contemporary India and Morocco." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för samhällsstudier (SS), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-31975.

Full text

Abstract:

This bachelor's thesis has been conducted based on an interest in the women's empowerment processes taking place in India after the 2012 Delhi gang rape, and after the suicide of Amina Filali in Morocco in 2012. The goal of the study is to analyze whether there are similarities in the way the processes unfold, based on Hans Abrahamsson's (2003) work on structural change, and to analyze how far the processes of change have advanced. In order to do so, a qualitative, abductive study of each country was conducted and later compared through the framework of Abrahamsson's three key concepts in order to analyze similarities and differences. Based on secondary- and tertiary sources from both academia and media, the thesis attempts to create a holistic picture of the developments by discussing opinions accessible both to the broader public and scholarly community. The thesis suggests that neither India nor Morocco show signs of permanent strategic gender changes, or structural change, but are instead situated in the problem-solving phase of the model. Neither country can be seen as having experienced strategic gender changes, as they have failed to satisfy strategic gender interests. India appears further along in its process, as the government has been forced to take larger problem-solving measures in order to stifle the protests. Morocco on the other hand, has survived on the promise of change alone. Recently, both countries have experienced a second tragedy similar to their first, the results of which remain to be seen. In the light of past developments, this thesis predicts future strategic gender changes are more likely in India than Morocco, albeit problematic in both.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Svensson, Katrin, and Cecilia Tiberg. "Empowerment in the headlines : How three Indian newspapers report on gender inequality." Thesis, Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för kommunikation, medier och it, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-6400.

Full text

Abstract:

India is the world’s largest democracy, one of the fastest growing economies and an enormous market for newspapers. It is also a country with deeply rooted gender biases where women are highly discriminated and marginalized at all levels of the society. The media is considered an important agent of power. Therefore this study focuses on how and to what extent the three Indian newspapers Hindustan Times, The Hindu and Times of India report on and approach gender inequality and women’s empowerment issues. How do journalists look upon their role and the role of the press in the women’s empowerment process? A quantitative content analysis was performed during five weeks (October 18 –November 21, 2010) and 69 articles that highlight gender inequality and women’s empowerment were found, collected and coded. This content analysis is combined with a qualitative method. Two informant interviews and six respondent interviews with journalists are included in the study. The most common main topics of the articles found were Law and amendments, Women’s movement, Political power, Reproductive health and Development. Five out of six interviewed reporters believe that their newspapers have a major impact on its readership and all six respondents were of the opinion that their newspapers encourage reporting on these matters. Although they believe that media’s overall influence is limited. The Hindu and Times of India report more on gender inequality and women’sempowerment issues than Hindustan Times does and some of the respondents express that The Hindu promotes development journalism more than the other two newspapers do.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

Briere, Caitlin Summer. "Gender and environmental treaties is female empowerment the key to environmental protection? /." Connect to Electronic Thesis (CONTENTdm), 2010. http://worldcat.org/oclc/644679631/viewonline.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Cook, Taylor Michelle. "UNTAPPED RESOURCES HOW UNDERDEVELOPED GENDER EMPOWERMENT CONSTRAINS THE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL IN BANGLADESH." The University of Montana, 2008. http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-09042008-185041/.

Full text

Abstract:

Gender empowerment is an oft-cited result of microfinance participation. However, research to verify this outcome continues to produce ambivalent results implying that microfinance programs are not maximizing their potential impact. While gender empowerment may be a desirable end to development, it is less often used as a means to achieve development goals. This paper tests the hypothesis that gender empowerment improves microfinance program performance using data from the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and a theoretical framework based on prevalent institutional ideologies. The results show that empowered clients have a higher likelihood of attaining desirable program outcomes. These results can be taken as evidence that microfinance organizations should consider investments in support programs to directly address social impediments to gender empowerment as a way to increase their overall effectiveness.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Sulem, Evelyn. "Transnational migration in Mexican indigenous communities : an analysis of gender and empowerment." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2013. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/59470/.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis presents interdisciplinary work on indigenous Mexican migration from a gender perspective. It uses a conceptual framework drawn from Agarwal (1994) and Kabeer (2001) to explore the role of transnational migration in the transformation of gender relations and identities and to enrich our understanding of the link between transnational migration and empowerment. Based on innovative multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in the Mixtec town of Santiago Cacaloxtepec, the Zapotec town of San Bartolomé Quialana; both located in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico; and the state of California, US; this research presents a high resolution comparative analysis of changing gender relations in the communities of origin and diaspora due to indigenous (mainly) male migration. Migration from both communities is transnational, gendered and undocumented; indigenous men are still seen as the natural subjects of migration, especially when this is international, but nowadays indigenous women are also expected to migrate at least while they are single. Longer-term absence of male inhabitants has been understood as a determining factor which progressively re-constructs gender relations, increases female participation in political life and is a catalyst for women's empowerment. However a close scrutiny of the socio-political context of the communities, the dynamics of migration and a desegregation of female respondents by age/generation allows this research to argue that not all women are sharing equally in the shifts in gender relations. Moreover, while transnational migration is found to be both initiating and contributing to processes of women’s empowerment, its significance is differentiated by the location, age, civil status and migrant experiences of women, and it is not the only factor at work. In the diaspora, changes in gender relations have been observed in favour of women, as they take advantage of new opportunities in employment and education and men are obliged to participate in household work. Important processes of empowerment were detected among male and female migrants who have found opportunities that they could not have obtained in their communities of origin. However, their clandestine status still jeopardizes their transformative achievements. Transnational migration has also served as an opportunity to re-construct and question the forms of femininity and masculinity practised in the communities. Femininity has ceased to be represented only through motherhood and marriage, to give way to more active and transformative expressions. Dominant forms of indigenous masculinities have been based on elderly-wisdom power arrangements; however the trajectory of transnational migration is seeing them give way to a masculinity represented by the younger "brave" and experienced migrant.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Diamanka, Fanta. "Broadcasting Change: Radio Talk Shows, Education and Women’s Empowerment in Senegal." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1365168542.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Selvarajah-Martinsson, Maria. "Motherhood, Survival Strategies and Empowering Experiences." Thesis, Halmstad University, School of Social and Health Sciences (HOS), 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-1131.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis is based on material gathered during a field study in rural Sri Lanka, a Minor Field Study, (MFS) during April-May 2007. The core of the thesis deals with conceptualisations of empowerment and how they can be interpreted contextually from the perspectives of motherhood. The interplay of gender discourses with structural dimensions are analysed to see how these work to uphold ideals whilst posing contrary demands on mothers. Part of the focus has thus been to look at how discourses are adhered, aligned and adjusted to in various ways as strategies for survival in the context of poverty and marginalisation. The way social constructions perpetuate asymmetrical power relations as natural and normative is also discussed since this is central to how gender discourses are produced, upheld and reproduced. This study initiates in the every day experiences of mothers living in absolute poverty. Through narratives and participatory observations of their daily experiences contextual discourses, structural dimensions and agency are analysed. Their experiences are viewed as interconnected with the wider perspectives of political, economic and social conditions locally and globally. Analysis of these experiences against contextual discourses and structural implications attempts to identify possibilities and potential for empowerment. By raising central issues to the mothers regarding segregation, marginalisation and vulnerability, a more contextual understanding of how empowerment is constrained and facilitated is hopefully achieved. Furthermore, how women in this study respond and relate to these issues and whether empowering experiences can be traced even where overt challenges are absent. Finally, the thesis addresses the complexity of carrying out a study of this kind, where the prerogative to define and conceptualise lies with the researcher, the beholder, representing through this very role inequity in the division of power and privilege.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

Thim, Annelise. "Women's Economic Empowerment| An Analysis of Development Discourse and Its Impact on Gender Development programs." Thesis, The American University of Paris (France), 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13871610.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Smith, F. "Transformation in the liquid fuels industry: a gender and black economic empowerment perspective." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_4434_1183463419.

Full text

Abstract:

This study focused on Black Economic Empowerment and gender in the liquid fuels industry. It explored the possible means of empowerment and questions the seriousness of organizations to institute programmes that are gender sensitive. The liquid fuels industry in South Africa served as the pinnacle of the apartheid state. It possessed the strength to survive the onslaught of the economic sanctions imposed as a result of apartheid. It was because of these stringent economic sanctions that it was forced to survive on its own with limited assistance. The advent of democracy in 1994 gave this industry the impetus to grow in terms of Gender and Black Economic Empowerment.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Fleischman, Jennifer R. "Beads of Empowerment: The Role of Body Art in Challenging Pokot Gender Identities." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2012. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/art_design_theses/105.

Full text

Abstract:

Pokot female body art identifies a woman’s beauty, husband, and social rank among the Pokot community through color, pattern, and mass. In the last sixty years, as a result of Kenya’s entrance into the global economy, Pokot women have turned a “traditional” art form into a commodity, creating a product for Western tourists that, in turn, provides Pokot women with a means to earn income that is less readily under male control. Pokot women consciously create beadwork that alludes to the “Idea of Africa,” while also conforming to Western standards of “colonial chic.” The result is a body art that visualizes a harmonious interaction between “exotic” and “modern.” This thesis argues that with the successful integration of beadwork into the global market, Pokot women have strategically identified an alternative to their traditional, gender-related power constraints and challenged historical constructions of Pokot gender identity.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

Bulbul, Lamia Y. I. "Work, gender and power : types of employment and women's empowerment in the family." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1999. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1318005/.

Full text

Abstract:

This study is an examination of the role of work in shaping - or not shaping - women's perception of their position in the family and their relationships to their husbands. Our objective is to examine the impact of two different types of informal employment on the perception of women as to their relative power in the household - in terms of access to resources and decision-making. To test the hypothesis about this impact we interviewed a sample of women market traders operating in the public markets to compare them with a group of secluded home-based producers in two poor neighbourhoods in Cairo. The comparison covers broad aspects of the working women's lives: their work, their household arrangements and aspects of their personal autonomy. Quantitative measures are used to assess relative power vis-à-vis the husbands of the women. The initial focus in this study was on the place of work, this defining the difference between the two groups of women. However, during the work, it emerged that another aspect was important: the specific social organisation of work. Women's access to and control over their earnings was also an important factor affecting their perception of their power within the household. Furthermore, all this assumes a dynamic historical context which is itself affecting gender roles and the social structure within which these households operate. In general, the results show that the type of work has some impact on women's perception. They also indicate that women's control over their work seems to correlate closely with the degree to which, in economic activity, husband and wife work in different contexts. Those seeing themselves as least empowered work at home under the direction of their husband. The data suggest that the effects of employment on women's perception are contradictory. To understand these contradictions and account for them we argue that it is women's perception that affected their choice of the type of work in the first place. The prior social programming, within the specific historical context of their lives and of Egypt, led to the choice of work, rather than the work on its own producing some form of social transformation.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Touwen-van, der Kooij Anna. "Gender and development in Zambia : empowerment of women through local non-governmental organisations /." [S.l. : s.n.], 1996. http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/F?func=service&doc_library=BVB01&doc_number=007905349&line_number=0001&func_code=DB_RECORDS&service_type=MEDIA.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

Spajic, Ana-Marija. "Women's empowerment in Neo-Paganism : A study of power and gender and what we can learn about women’s empowerment in Neo- Paganism." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Teologiska institutionen, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-412858.

Full text

Abstract:

Too often women have a secondary place in religious institutions, with no possibility to influence or come into leading positions. This thesis aims to understand women’s empowerment by searching for such examples in Neo-Paganism, a growing New Religious Movement (NRM) in the west. Grace Jantzen’s development of Foucault’s power theory is utilized to analyze and understand the results. A mixed method is used; four interviews are conducted with Wiccan and Druid women, a survey of 332 women is analyzed, and literature and studies on Neo-Paganism are analyzed. I draw the conclusion that Neo-Paganism can empower women in different ways, however, this can be influenced by socio-cultural factors, as empowerment can look very different in different countries. The result is meant to provide us with an understanding of women’s needs in a religious and spiritual context, so that women may become empowered within their religious communities.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Ndlovu, Innocencia Sithandazile. "How has the South African government conceptualised gender?: an evaluation of the draft strategic framework on gender and women's empowerment." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011856.

Full text

Abstract:

The research seeks to evaluate how the South African government has conceptualised gender through the use of the concepts of WID and GAD. This research has been conducted through the analysis of the Draft Strategic Framework on Gender and Women's Empowerment a document of the Department of Trade and Industry that was formulated to address and redress the issues of gender equality. It has some sound suggestions that seek to identify strategies to improve women empowerment through financial independence. As a result they have used various approaches in order to provide strategies that are mindful of the „needs‟ of the women. Accordingly they have formulated a policy that understands who these women are and have made recommendations of strategies that different groups of women can identify with. They have included the marginalised rural and disabled women and even gone as far as catering for younger women still at school. However there has been concern at the impact that the exclusion of men has contributed, therefore it is important to find ways in which to make men more involved.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Ncube, Greater. "Case study of collective action of women in response to water and food insecurity in the Ehlanzeni district municipality, Mpumalanga province." University of the Western Cape, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4257.

Full text

Abstract:

>Magister Scientiae - MSc
The historical patterns of access to water and other areas of public service delivery in South Africa predominantly favoured the white minority. There was inadequate distribution of water where townships and rural areas bore the brunt of the apartheid administration. Women are disadvantaged within the household and carry the burden of providing water for their families. This is particularly true in a water stressed environment, such as the Ehlanzeni District Municipality in Mpumalanga. This study considered the practical application of the Capability Approach and its key idea of human well-being. In particular, the idea of the Capability Approach that social arrangements should aim to expand people‟s capabilities and their freedom to promote or achieve what they value doing or being was considered. Sen‟s ideas were assessed and the study considered how these ideas help understand collective action and strategies adopted by women to cope in the face of water stress and poverty. The thesis examined how community involvement, in particular women‟s involvement in a group called Vukani, impacts on water related issues and helps them to cope with external stressors. The study also considered the links between group belonging and capabilities. The findings suggest that group belonging cultivates a unique set of capabilities such as hope and empowerment. Due to group belonging and the capabilities attained through collective action, Vukani was able to develop adaptive strategies through innovation, partnerships and knowledge sharing.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

Nqiwa, Chwayita Gail. "Women leadership in governance networks. A case study of Site-B in Khayelitsha." University of the Western Cape, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4883.

Full text

Abstract:

Masters in Public Administration - MPA
In this mini-thesis I explore the connection between women in the community and women leaders specifically in the Site B Section of Khayelitsha. I investigate amongst other, the social, environmental and economic challenges that women face. I explore feminism and patriarchy in order to better understand the women of Khayelitsha. In order to explore the study appropriately it was important to group the women separately in the qualitative interviews. There were two groups; the first group was women from the community where we discussed their experiences in their community. The second group comprised of women leaders (in local structures such as street committees, the Khayelitsha Development Forum, and political party counsellors) in the area. These women have rather unique experiences and that is an aspect that was critically explored. I then argued how safety and security affects women and their quality of life. The results from the in-depth interviews showed in many instances a close correlation with the literature on the topic. At the same time, the analysis of the interviews and responses to the questions also indicate additional dimensions of experiential meaning that can be ascribed to the in-depth exploration of the existential situation of women in South African society and the various challenges they experience. This was especially true of the B Section area in Khayelitsha, which was selected for investigation and from which the interviewees were drawn.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Padilla, Herrera Andrea Michelle. "Rural Women's Empowerment Through the Bono de Desarrollo Humano in Loja, Ecuador." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1585909837570404.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

Singh, Swati. "Microcredit, Women, and Empowerment: Evidence From India." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2014. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699847/.

Full text

Abstract:

Microfinance programs, by providing financial services to economically disadvantaged individuals, generally women, are intended to help poor self-employ and become financially independent. Earlier research in India has documented both positive and negative consequences of microfinance programs on women, from financial independence to domestic abuse. However, most of the research has been geographically limited to the southern states of the country, with a matured microfinance industry, and has given little attention to how variations in cultural practices across different regions of the country may influence the impact of microfinance programs on its members. To fill the gap in the existing literature, three related studies of Indian women were conducted. The first study was a qualitative study of 35 women engaged in microfinance programs in the northern region of India. The study found that women engaged in microfinance programs reported having increased social networks, higher confidence and increased social awareness. The second and third studies used nationally representative data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) 2005-2006. Controlling for a variety of other individual-level and community-level characteristics, the second study examined if getting a microloan affected women’s access to public spaces, and the third examined if getting such a loan influenced married women’s participation in household decision-making. Both studies further investigated if the microloan effect on these dimensions of women’s empowerment varied by the normative context of woman’s respective communities. The results indicated that, all else equal, women who had ever taken a microloan were more likely to go alone to places outside their home such as market, health clinics and places outside the community compared to women who had never taken such a loan. Getting a microloan also had a positive effect on women’s participation in decisions about large household purchases and husband’s earnings. The hypothesized moderating effect of the normative context of women’s respective communities was found only for women’s participation in decisions about large household purchases. Getting a microloan had a stronger positive effect on women’s participation in these decisions if they lived in communities with restrictive gender norms.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Ruiz, Castro Mayra Fabiola. "Empowerment and gender in the workplace : experiences in accounting and IT firms in Mexico." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2009. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/16156/.

Full text

Abstract:

The aim of this research is to study the gender implications of empowerment processes in the workplace. This research studies the manifestations of empowerment processes in hierarchical and non-hierarchical organisations, as well as the ways in which women and men experience them. Ultimately, this research is concerned with the relationship between empowerment processes and gender equality in the workplace. ‘Empowerment’ has been both the most aspired to and co-opted term of the last four decades. In the gender and development field, empowerment entails greater gender equality and social change. It is a process whereby women and men conscious of their constrained condition and position in society, exercise their individual and collective agency to challenge oppressive structures, and take control over their own lives. In contrast, in the corporate world, empowerment represents a series of management intentions, which seek to enhance employees’ performance, responsibility and commitment towards organisational goals. This is achieved though an increase in employees’ range of responsibilities and in their level of autonomy to carry them out. This research proposes to study the gender implications of corporate empowerment at the level of job execution. It also widens its scope by integrating a transformatory view into its analysis. Thus, it explores women’s and men’s degree of consciousness, agency and autonomy over two relevant aspects of their working lives: time management and career direction. This research adopts a case-study approach. Empirical research was conducted in two corporations of the professional services sector in Mexico, employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. This study demonstrates that corporate empowerment perpetuates gender inequalities in both hierarchical and non-hierarchical organisations, either by excluding women from the process or by creating unequal outcomes for women and men. Further, it shows that the manifestation of transformatory empowerment is jeopardised by women and men's compliance with corporate expectations and inaction to bring about changes in discriminatory organisational practices as well as to demand greater corporate responsibility.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Duke, Sara. "Comparative Practices & Perspectives: Gender, Development and Empowerment in Uttarakhand, India and Northern Virginia." VCU Scholars Compass, 2008. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1551.

Full text

Abstract:

The following thesis is a qualitative comparative case study which investigated the values, practices, perspectives, and strategies of Indian and American community organizers (practitioners and volunteers of non-profits and non-governmental organizations) who use microfinance, including savings schemes, as an instrument within the social intermediation process of developing disadvantaged women's capacities for self-sufficiency/empowerment. The focused inquiry was conducted through similarly structured in-depth interviews of directors, staff members and volunteers/community-based organizers of a women's business center in Northern Virginia, a large U.S. metropolitan area, and a women's federation in the rural Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India. Interview questions focused on savings, social intermediation, and financial sustainability/subsidization, which are three significant facets of microfinance. Katz's framework for constructing analytical topographies, contour lines, and countertopographies was used to structure of the various levels of analysis. Contour lines were drawn from the similarities between the two organizations. Differences were explained by situating each organization in Mayoux's theoretical paradigms of "Women's Empowerment through Microfinance." Analyses concluded with the construction of countertopographies on practices and strategies aimed towards collectively empowering women in disparate places around the world.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Eger, Claudia. "Empowerment through education : tour operators promoting gender equality through capacity building in destination communities." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2016. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/810904/.

Full text

Abstract:

This research critiques the relationship between tour operators and destination communities with a key focus on capacity building and gender (dis)empowerment in the context of education. Capacity building processes are studied employing social learning theory to enable an interconnected investigation of different capacity building levels and the ways in which these influence and are influenced by gender. The research critiques tour operators’ selection of destination projects, analysing the intended and unintended effects of an education project for girls situated in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. A dialogue between theory, context and partial perspectives is established through the adoption of an Islamic feminist framework, challenging dominant understandings and fostering the creation of differences from within. Using the case of the Education for All project, findings reveal that caring at a distance is a crucial element of responsible action in tourism. Tour operators’ investment in destination projects emerges primarily through an ethic of care between them and destination communities, with multiple layers of shared, performed and displaced responsibility underpinning this business practise. However, with no formal frameworks in existence, tour operators’ selection of projects depends upon emergent strategies that connect the professional with the personal, with trust being positioned as a central driver of these informal processes. With regard to destination communities, lived experience and informal education are identified as core components of capacity building processes. Friendship is equated to the meaning of education, with empowerment being re-negotiated as learning to be responsible for the self. This understanding challenges local interpretations of equality based on gendered notions of respect. Women’s increasing sense of responsibility, confidence and competence has the potential to problematize relations of (dis)respect and the role and position of women within society. Two recommendations to aid in this process were developed: anti-gossip campaigns and mentoring schemes.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

Joseph, Molefe Coper. "Beyond earning money : towards an understanding of youth livelihoods, gender and empowerment in Botswana." Thesis, University of Reading, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.511660.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Özdemir, Hale. "The Road to Women’s Empowerment in a Man's Crop : A field study of Ugandan women's empowerment process in the coffee farming industry." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-375773.

Full text

Abstract:

In recent years the concept of empowerment has flourished to a large extent, not least in development studies. Empowering marginalised communities, poor people and women has become a priority for development agencies and organisations. This thesis aims to assess how women are empowered by a top-down approach through International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) and a bottom-up approach through the women themselves. The paper is based on a field study that took place in the coffee farms of Uganda where women face enormous challenges as they work in an exploited industry and live with husbands who often withhold the income of the work the women have done. Drawing on Naila Kabeer’s definition of empowerment, this paper looks at if and how the resources, agency and achievements of the women have led to empowerment in the levels of household, workplace and community. The research strategy used for this paper is data collected from semi-structured interviews with women working in coffee farms in Uganda. The results show that women become empowered to a large extent in the workplace and community levels but struggle in the household level. There is not sufficient transformative power from IWCA and the women themselves to change the structures regarding gender-norms that are vastly embedded in the culture. There is a need to raise more awareness and knowledge, not only for women and organisations but for the men as well, in order to reach women’s empowerment and gender equality.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

Head, Cari Beth. "ICTs for Power/Empowerment?: Negotiating Narratives across the Local and Global." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1339766971.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Tu, Jenny. "A study on the impacts of gender mainstreaming on men and women in the world." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för samhällsstudier (SS), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-46059.

Full text

Abstract:

The strategy of gender mainstreaming was implemented as a policy tool with its objective of achieving gender equality and benefitting both women and men. But it has been seen that the strategy had the tendency to present and focus only on one side of the gender coin, which are women and girls. Men and boys are hardly mentioned in gender related issues and appear as hazy background figures, which have further resulted in serious consequences for women and men, as well as the relationship between them in relation to gender equality efforts. This research analyzes the existing literature within the field of gender and development in order to comprehend the complexity surrounding gender equality concerning the policies with gender mainstreaming and its impact on women, men, and on the relationship between them. To increase the reliability of the research, an analytical model in the shape of a triangle was constructed to illustrate the symmetric correlation between gender policies, and their impact on women and men. The results of the research showed that with its main focus on women’s issues and empowerment, policies with gender mainstreaming appear to contribute to negative and threatened responses from men towards women’s increasing power. This is in relation to men’s sense of exclusion and disempowerment. The results further indicate a potential backlash in the objective of gender equality where men’s negative reactions can be seen to hamper women’s ability to perform their advanced role in households and communities, which further exacerbate the efforts of achieving equality.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

Sjöberg, Josefine, and Sandra Österlund. "Men's perceptions of how gender equality affects gender relations at household levels in rural Uganda : - A case study conducted in two villages in Isingiro district in South-West Uganda." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för samhällsstudier (SS), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-49437.

Full text

Abstract:

In Uganda, the constitution provide protection for women´s rights. However, progress is still slow and the situation on household levels are largely unknown. Many focus on the challenges for women when it comes to gender equality, but as there is now a general recognition of the importance to include men in this work, this study aims to focus on men's perceptions and thoughts regarding gender equality, women empowerment, gender roles and social change, to contribute valuable information on this matter. Previous studies have shown signs of male resistance towards gender equality. To best understand the underlying reasons for this resistance, the theory of Hegemonic Masculinities by Connell and Messerschmidt was chosen to analyse the findings. This theory suggests that hierarchies between men, and notions of male ideals, can have an impact on men´s behaviour. A field study was conducted in rural Uganda which used the methods of individual interviews and focus group discussions, targeting men in different ages and socio-economic backgrounds. The questions asked regarded the roles for men and women, how the roles are changing, their perception of gender equality and the impact of women empowerment on gender relations, all with a focus on house hold level. These answers were complemented by key respondents on both local and national level. The main results of this study shows that there seems to be a general change in the role for women, but the male ideal is still tied to being the provider and leader in the family. Gender equality was in somewhat contradictory viewed as something good that could lead to development, as long as the men could remain higher in status than women. Lastly, many men seemed worried about women empowerment leading to disrespect, arguments and divorce, even though some benefits also were recognized. These findings indicate that “universal ideas” of gender equality have a wide range of local interpretations that needs to be taken into consideration when promoting gender equality in a development context.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Summers, Kelly. "Mobile Phones, Social Relations, and the Gatekeepers to Women's Empowerment in Maasai Households." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/89912.

Full text

Abstract:

Throughout the developing world, the mobile phone has been heralded as a tool that can empower and lift women out of vulnerable situations. While many scholars and development professionals believe that phones empower women, some contend that phones amplify disparities for people who are not well-positioned in society. To better understand how the diffusion of phones has impacted women, this thesis examines the relationship between mobile phones and socially constructed gender-based inequalities in agro-pastoralist Maasai communities in northern Tanzania. Grounded in perspectives from scholarship on women's empowerment and rural liveihoods, I ask: (1) how do women access and use phones?; and (2) how are women's phone uses embedded in existing social relations? This research relies on semi-structured interviews and household surveys conducted in the summer of 2018 to identify Maasai women's perspectives on phones, social relations, and power. Through inductive and deductive qualitative content analysis, findings indicate that phone access is fluid. There are a multitude of relationships between phones and empowerment, and these relationships are not only a function of a woman's personal choice and characteristics, but often more importantly her position in the household, the household norms her husband controls, and her husband's attributes. These results help show how women's empowerment in patriarchal societies, which may be afforded by new technologies, is guarded by men and subject to their discretions. This study highlights the importance of engaging men and women in discussions of and interventions surrounding women's empowerment.
Master of Science
Mobile phones are used throughout the world, even in rural, developing areas. Both men and women are adopting cell phones that can provide access to greater amounts and different types of information that was previously inaccessible. Some development professionals and scholars argue that mobile phones are a tool that can empower marginalized communities, like women. Others contend that mobile phones fail to transform the lives of women due to existing gender inequalities. My research seeks to answer the question: do mobile phones empower women by increasing access to resources and enhancing decision-making power? This research is situated in northern Tanzania in predominately ethnically Maasai communities where patriarchal (system controlled by men) and polygynous (marriage of one man with several women) practices essentially give men the power to determine the responsibilities, roles, and rights of all community members. These practices are embedded in important traditions that help Maasai communities cope with stress and maintain or enhance life now and for future generations. The widespread adoption of mobile phones creates an opportunity for novelty in these traditional norms. To understand how Maasai women may use mobile phones to challenge traditional practices that permit gender inequalities, this study conducted interviews and surveys with women in ten rural communities to examine: if and how women access and use mobile phones; the opportunities and challenges that mobile phones present; how women leverage phones to access resources and practice agency (having options and the ability to define and act on goals); and how social position in the household interacts with processes of empowerment that phones may permit. Findings show that there is no single relationship between mobile phones and empowerment, but rather a multitude of relationships that are influenced by social position both in and out of the household. This study illustrates the importance of considering local socio-cultural norms and engaging men in development interventions for women’s empowerment.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Rawana, Jennine S. "The relationship between burnout, psychological empowerment, and gender role orientation in long-term care nurses." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ60866.pdf.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

Zulfiqar, Ghazal M. "Microfinance| A tool for financial access, poverty alleviation or gender empowerment? -- Empirical findings from Pakistan." Thesis, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3608538.

Full text

Abstract:

In just 30 years microfinance has transformed from a credit-based rural development scheme that has claimed to reduce poverty and empower poor women, to a $70 billion financial industry. In the process, the traditional NGO-led model has given way to commercialized institutions, resulting in an increased emphasis on profitmaking. This has also led to confusion in the sector around its mission: is it to alleviate poverty and empower poor women or simply to provide the "unbanked" with access to formal sources of finance? This research considers the main debates in microfinance with regard to its mission and presents empirical evidence on the effectiveness of microfinance. The study is based on the Pakistani microfinance sector, which provides an ideal opportunity for a comparative analysis of two distinct models of microfinance – the nonprofit microfinance institutions (MFI) and the microfinance banks (MFB). The research compares the depth of outreach, mission, practice, and borrower experiences of MFIs and MFBs, employing a political economy framework. The data includes 140 interviews with policymakers, donors, senior, mid and low-level microfinance officers, and their clients; as well as observations of practitioner-client interactions, including the process of disbursement and collection, group meetings, and field visits with loan officers in urban Pakistan. It also comprises two district-level surveys: the microfinance outreach survey from the Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN) and the Government of Pakistan's Social and Living Standards Survey (PSLM). The surveys are analyzed econometrically to test whether district-level socioeconomic differences affect patterns of outreach. This study broadens our understanding of the extent to which the local political economy shapes the outcomes of a market-based intervention, such as microfinance. It also provides an insight into the evolution of microfinance, specifically as framed by the global development discourse and subsequent public policy choices. Finally, the study provides an authoritative account of how institutional structure affects microfinance's effectiveness as a tool for poverty alleviation, empowerment and financial access.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

Kurbanova, Mohira R. "The Role of Traditional Gender Ideologies in the Empowerment of Women in Post Soviet Uzbekistan." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1125522866.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

Hanappi-Egger, Edeltraud, Anett Hermann, and Roswitha Hofmann. "Mikrokredite für Frauen: Instrument zur Akkumulation von symbolischem Kapital?! Empowermentmaßnahmen als Basis für genderspezifischen sozialen Wandel am Beispiel des Mikrokreditsektors in Mittelägypten." Netzwerk Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung NRW, 2010. http://epub.wu.ac.at/7036/1/ssoar%2Dgender%2D2011%2D3%2Dhanappi%2Degger_et_al%2DMikrokredite_fur_Frauen__Instrument.pdf.

Full text

Abstract:

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird die Möglichkeit diskutiert, genderspezifischen sozialen Wandel in Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern über Mikrokreditvergabesysteme anzustoßen. Anhand einer in Mittelägypten durchgeführten Studie mit mehrfach diskriminierten Frauen wird gezeigt, wie Mikrokredite die Akkumulation nicht nur von ökonomischem, sondern vor allem auch von kulturellem und sozialem Kapital im Bourdieu'schen Sinne unterstützen können. Wenn in diesem Kontext eine Veränderung des symbolischen Kapitals gelingt, kann dies zu neuen Wahrnehmungs-, Denk- und Handlungsschemata der Beteiligten und zu Strukturveränderungen auf der Makroebene führen. Die theoretische Modellierung von genderspezifischem sozialem Wandel erfolgt in diesem Artikel entlang empirischer Daten, die von den Autorinnen in Mittelägypten erhoben wurden.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Gender and Empowerment'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles