Friday, November 28, 2014

What Is "Socioeconomic Empowerment" for a Woman? Part 1

Socioeconomics empowerment is a combination of a woman’s freedom, power and access to resources in her home, place of employment and community. The following questions can be asked to evaluate a woman’s socioeconomic position within a community:

  1. Do you feel like you have a say in household decision-making, such as how and what to spend money on regarding your family’s food, education and health?
  2. Do you feel like you have a voice acquiring, allocating, and selling assets such as property, transportation or other major purchases?
  3. Do you feel like your daughters and the young girls in your family have same access to the same quality and level of education as their male counterparts?
  4. Do you feel like you have a choice in your own reproductive and fertility decisions?
  5. Do you feel like you have a choice in how land that affects you is used and conserved?
  6. Do you feel like you are safe from violence in your home?
  7. Do you feel like you are safe from violence In your community?
  8. Do you feel like you have access to the education, training and technology you desire?
  9. Do you feel like you have access to knowledge about your legal rights as a woman in your community?
  10. Do you feel like you have access to general health and reproductive health care?
  11. Do you feel like you have access to equal wages in your job?
  12. Do you feel like you have equal access to credit and financial loans?
  13. Do you feel safe at work and free from violence, harassment and discrimination?
  14. Do you feel like you have a voice in the decision-making process in your community and government?

Although this list of questions is by no way exclusive, I believe it is a good starting point to analyze the issue.  Over the next coming months I will be asking these questions of the women Willow Tree Roots serve in an effort to best determine how our programs can help these amazing women.

No comments:

Post a Comment