Women鈥檚 Empowerment: What Works and Why?
This paper draws on a multi-country research programme to explore pathways of positive change in women鈥檚 lives
Abstract
Revisiting foundational feminist work on the concept of empowerment from the 1980s and 1990s, this paper draws on the findings of a multi-country research programme, 鈥楶athways of Women鈥檚 Empowerment鈥�, to explore pathways of positive change in women鈥檚 lives, in diverse contexts, and to draw together some lessons for policy and practice. It begins with an account of women鈥檚 empowerment in development, tracing some key ideas that have shaped feminist engagement with empowerment in theory and practice. It then introduces the Pathways programme and its methodological approach, before turning to each of Pathways鈥� themes, exploring key findings from our research and highlighting examples of 鈥榳hat works鈥�. It goes on to narrate a series of stories of change that illustrate some of the dynamics and dimensions of change identified in our conclusions. Drawing out the principal lessons, the paper concludes with reflections on implications for development policy and practice.
Citation
Cornwall, A. Women鈥檚 Empowerment: What Works and Why? UNU-WIDER, Helsinki, Finland (2014) 33 pp. [WIDER Working Paper No. 2014/104]