Women Empowerment As A Crusial Factor In Creating An Effective Country

Although, the world has progressed in gender equality, there are still many who believe differently about the aspirations of women. Women empowerment is an essential factor to creating a more effective country. They make up for half of the world's population, so their influence is just as important as a man, especially concerning economic growth and social development. Dating back to the 18th century, equal rights for women were disregarded and diminished. Due to the prolonged oppression in slavery, for decades women were taken advantage of and stripped of their morals. Nobody defended or took this matter into consideration until Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation where he declared “all slaves shall be free”. In the 1800’s, if women married in a church this permitted her husband to have full control and command within their household. According to the speech written by Frances D. Gage, Address to the American Equal Rights Association, she addressed the life of a woman. Gage wrote, “The men came to me and wanted to be married, because they said if they were married in the church, they could manage the women, and take care of their money, but if they were not married in the church the women took their own wages and did just as they had a mind to. But the women came to me and said, ‘We don't want to be married in the church, because if we are our husbands will whip the children and whip us if they want to; they are no better than old masters’'. From this, it is clear that men had complete power and toll and never understood the purpose for a woman's purpose. Some may argue that that is how life was back then where men were the superior gender and did such things to prove their masculinity. Although this is true, women were and still are capable of partaking in such harsh labor. Furthermore, until the early 20th century, women in America were denied suffrage in political elections. From the beginning of 1848, it was seen as invalid for a woman to go to public voting polls to vote. Over time, women began to realize that in order to achieve reform, they needed to win that franchise.

In 1917 the speech Address to Congress on Women’s Suffrage written by Carrie Chapman Catt, she had campaigned for the rights of women. Catt writes, “As a party measure – a measure of all parties – why not put the amendment through Congress and the legislatures? We shall all be better friends, we shall have a happier nation, we women will be free to support loyally the party of our choice, and we shall be far prouder of our history. ” In making this comment, Catt urges her audience to join the “fight” alongside her and acknowledge equality for both men and women alike. In fact, while the world has achieved progress towards women empowerment, to this day women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every aspect. Despite critical advances over the course of recent history, women in all countries encounter various forms of unfair treatment. This includes: domestic violence, harrassment, discrimination, and sexual abuse. Abuse can range from a variety of contexts such as: forced marriage, deprivation of education, denial of rights, and lack of access to work and health care. Gender equality is a fundamental human right and is a necessary foundation for a respectful, prosperous and sustainable world. Although others may believe that women are irrelevant in this world, providing women and girls with equal access to education, work, health care, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes, will increase sustainable economies and benefit the society as a whole.

According to the article “Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls” written by the United Nations, “In 46 countries, women now hold more than 30% of seats in national parliament in at least one chamber. ” Inimately, when implementing new legal frameworks regarding female equality in the workplace, it becomes crucial to ending gender-biased discrimination around the world. In many cases, the full participation of women in the workplace would add double-digit percentage points to national growth rates. Evidence found from around the world displays that gender equality advancements have significantly impacted areas of sustainable development, from reducing poverty, hunger and the well-being and education within families as well as in communities. As stated in the article “Global Issues: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment” by the Peace Corps, “women comprise more than 50% of the world's population, they only own 1% of the world's wealth. ” Throughout the world, women and girls perform long hours of unpaid domestic work. In some places, those women still lack the rights to own land and/or inherit property of their own. They are not allowed access to credit, earned income, or raises in the workplace. Obviously, it is crucial to promote the total and equitable participation of both men and women in efforts aimed toward improving poverty reduction, sustainability of rural development, and educational growth. Women deserve the same rights as a man and shouldn’t be thought of as less.

For hundreds of years, women have been discriminated and harassed for being a girl. Men took advantage of those qualities and gave little to no respect for a women’s full purpose in the world. Evidently, women earned less pay and labor than the male population. Despite the notable gains by women, there are still substantial gaps between men and women in the labor market, with women being less likely to be part of the labor force when compared to men. Women are much more than meet the eye and without them, the economic and social improvement cannot be achieved.