Activity 9: Conclusion

Objectives:

After completion of this activity, the participants will be able to:

Understand what is women’s economic empowerment. Be acquainted with why economic empowerment is important.

Time Needed 1 hour

Methodology Pair work, demonstration, large group discussion

Materials Flipchart and paper, markers

What is women economic empowerment

Women Economic empowerment is the capacity of women and men to participate in, contribute to and benefit from growth processes in ways that recognise the value of their contributions, respect their dignity and make it possible to negotiate a fairer distribution of the benefits of growth.

Economic empowerment is the crying need of this hour. “Wage employment means economic power” (Elliott, 2008, p. 86). Through employment women earn money and it enables women and girls to become ‘bread earners’, contributing members of households with a strong sense of their own economic independence. “Economic empowerment is a powerful tool against poverty” (Biswas, 2010, p. 27). The Djakarta Declaration (1994) critically examines that, “empowerment of women is not only equal consideration; it was a necessary precondition for sustainable economic and social development.”

Importance of Empowerment

Investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. Women make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs or employees, or by doing unpaid care work at home. But they also remain disproportionately affected by poverty, discrimination and exploitation.

Gender discrimination means women often end up in insecure, low-wage jobs, and constitute a small minority of those in senior positions. It curtails access to economic assets such as land and loans. It limits participation in shaping economic and social policies. And, because women perform the bulk of household work, they often have little time left to pursue economic opportunities.

If funding sources comprise the “supply side” of political finance, then controls on expenditure inform the “demand side”. These controls usually take the form of limits on campaign spending by parties, candidates and third parties (e.g. non-party campaigners) in the run-up to elections.

Countries that impose spending limits have used different approaches to calculate the expenditure limit. Some set a specific absolute figure that does not vary, some calculate the limit based on the average monthly salary or minimum wage, and still others calculate the spending limit in conjunction with the number of voters or inhabitants in the electoral area. Whatever approach is taken, the limit set must be reasonable.

If it is set too high, it will have “no bite” and essentially be meaningless. If the limit is set too low, it may not allow for adequate electoral campaigning and could also tempt some contestants to circumvent the limit. The law must clearly define the concept of electoral expense. This means that the types of activity covered must be clear and the length of the campaign (regulated) period specified in order to ensure the spending limit is effective.