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Women empowerment: A key to sustainable development

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Meenakshi Lohani at Km Mayawati Government Girls Post Graduate College, Badalpur, uttar Pradesh , India
Meenakshi Lohani
  • Km Mayawati Government Girls Post Graduate College, Badalpur, uttar Pradesh , India
Loai Aburaida at An-Najah National University
Loai Aburaida
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The Social Ion, Print ISSN: 2319-358, Indexed in DRJI Meenakshi Lohani & Loai Aburaida
Vol. 6 No. 2 July-December 2017, pp. 26-29 The Social Ion
DOI: 10.5958/2456-7523.2017.00006.4 Women Empowerment…
26
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: A KEY TO
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Meenakshi Lohani
Department of Geography
Km. Mayawati Government Girls P.G. College
Badalpur, Gautambuddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
Email: meenakshilohani@yahoo.co.in
Prof. Loai Aburaida
Department of Geography
An-Najah National University, Palestine
Email: laburaida@najah.edu
“There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of
women.”
Kofi Annan
Abstract
Women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their full
participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development” (Principle 20, Rio
Declaration). There is a dual rationale for promoting gender equality. Firstly, that equality between
women and men - equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities – is a matter of human rights and
social justice. And secondly, that greater equality between women and men is also a precondition
for (and effective indicator of) sustainable people-centred development. The perceptions, interests,
needs and priorities of both women and men must be taken into consideration not only as a matter
of social justice but because they are necessary to enrich development processes” (OSAGI 2001).
Key words: Women empowerment, sustainable development. environment,
economic.
Introduction
Women, who make up half of the world’s population, have benefited
more than men from the progress in economic and social development in the last
three decades. Nevertheless they continue to be overrepresented among the
world’s most vulnerable groups, as access to resources and power remains highly
skewed towards men. Gender equality is a goal in its own right but also a key
factor for sustainable economic growth, social development and environmental
sustainability. By providing the same opportunities to women and men,
including in decision-making in all kinds of activities, a sustainable path of
development can be achieved to ensure that women’s and men’s interests are
both taken into account in the allocation of resources. In 1992, the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) made important
provisions for the recognition of women’s contributions and their full
participation in sustainable development. Principle 20 of the Rio Declaration
(quoted at the outset of this paper) and “Global Action for Women towards
Sustainable and Equitable Development” of Agenda 21 make commitments to
strengthening the position of women.
The concept of empowerment
Empowerment can be defined as a "multi-dimensional social process that
helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters power
The Social Ion, Print ISSN: 2319-358, Indexed in DRJI Meenakshi Lohani & Loai Aburaida
Vol. 6 No. 2 July-December 2017, pp. 26-29 The Social Ion
DOI: 10.5958/2456-7523.2017.00006.4 Women Empowerment…
27
(that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their
communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as
important".
Women’s empowerment means women gaining more power and control
over their own lives. This entails the idea of women’s continued disadvantage
compared to men which is apparent in different economic, socio-cultural and
political spheres. Therefore, women’s empowerment can also be seen as an
important process in reaching gender equality, which is understood to mean that
the "rights, responsibilities and opportunities of individuals will not depend on
whether they are born male or female". According to the UN Population Fund, an
empowered woman has a sense of self-worth. She can determine her own
choices, and has access to opportunities and resources providing her with an
array of options she can pursue. She has control over her own life, both within
and outside the home and she has the ability to influence the direction of social
change to create a more just social and economic order, both nationally and
internationally. Gender role expectations are institutionalized through legislative,
educational, political and economic systems. Women need to be "empowered" in
order to narrow the "gender gap" and to create an equal playing field between
women and men before gender equality can be reached and maintained.
The concept of sustainable development
Sustainable development is “development which meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs”. It therefore encapsulates the needs of both women and men. Intra-
generational equity cannot be achieved without addressing the gender relations
which underlie prevailing inequity. Nor can inter-generational equity be
obtained, or responsibility to pass on a more equitable world to future
generations be met, if inequalities continue to be perpetuated. Gender disparity is
among the most pervasive form of inequality in the world and without serious
steps to tackle it, sustainable development cannot be achieved
In the late 1980s the report Our Common Future by the World
Commission on Environment and Development defined the concept “sustainable
development” as development which "meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. While
aiming to maximize the well-being of today’s generation, it is important to take a
long-term perspective, taking into account the consequences of our actions for
our children, their children and grandchildren, ensuring that the resources they
will require for their own well-being are not depleted, and that the natural
environment into which they will be born will not be polluted or destroyed.
Sustainable development is conceptualized as resting on three inter-
related pillars: economic development, social development and environmental
protection. A fourth pillar – the preservation of cultural diversity has been
proposed. This conceptual categorization might lead to treating these areas in
isolation without accounting for a whole range of channels through which these
pillars reinforce each other and bring about sustainable development. Instead, by
taking an integrated and holistic approach to socio-culturally responsible,
environmentally-friendly economic development, sustainable development can
be revealed as a multifaceted and dynamic process. It is important not to
conceptualize women’s empowerment and gender equality as a question of social
The Social Ion, Print ISSN: 2319-358, Indexed in DRJI Meenakshi Lohani & Loai Aburaida
Vol. 6 No. 2 July-December 2017, pp. 26-29 The Social Ion
DOI: 10.5958/2456-7523.2017.00006.4 Women Empowerment…
28
development alone, but as a cross-cutting issue in economic and socio-cultural
development and environmental protection. Sustainable development has been
defined by World Commission on Environment and Development as
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key
concepts:
the concept of "needs", in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to
which overriding priority should be given; and
the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social
organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.
There are three core elements that need to be harmonised in order to achieve
sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental
protection. Sustainable development aims at eradicating poverty through, in
particular, creating greater opportunities for all, reducing inequalities, raising
basic standards of living and fostering equitable social development and
inclusion.
Empowering women for sustainable development
Women’s empowerment is a process and Sustainable development
encompasses socio-cultural, economic and environmental aspects and thus
covers an enormously wide domain. So far gender issues have been primarily
dealt with as a social issue. This is reflected in the areas of poverty reduction,
education and health care in the Millennium Development Goals. UNDP
coordinates global and national efforts to integrate gender equality and women’s
empowerment into poverty reduction, democratic governance, crisis prevention
and recovery, and environment and sustainable development. The Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a
universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all
people enjoy peace and prosperity. UNDP focuses on gender equality and
women’s empowerment not only as human rights, but also because they are a
pathway to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable
development.
These 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development
Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality,
innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities.
The goals are interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve
tackling issues more commonly associated with another.
The SDGs work in the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the
right choices now to improve life, in a sustainable way, for future generations.
They provide clear guidelines and targets for all countries to adopt in accordance
with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large.
The SDGs are an inclusive agenda. They tackle the root causes of poverty and
unite us together to make a positive change for both people and planet.
“Supporting the 2030 Agenda is a top priority for UNDP,” said UNDP
Administrator Helen Clark. “The SDGs provide us with a common plan and
agenda to tackle some of the pressing challenges facing our world such as
poverty, climate change and conflict. UNDP has the experience and expertise to
drive progress and help support countries on the path to sustainable
development.”
The Social Ion, Print ISSN: 2319-358, Indexed in DRJI Meenakshi Lohani & Loai Aburaida
Vol. 6 No. 2 July-December 2017, pp. 26-29 The Social Ion
DOI: 10.5958/2456-7523.2017.00006.4 Women Empowerment…
29
In the end it could be concluded that, Economic, social, cultural and
environmental concerns need to be approached in an integrated and holistic
manner. From a gender perspective, it is particularly important not to consider
gender equality as a socio-cultural issue alone but to give it due consideration in
the economic and environmental realms as well – treating gender equality as a
cross-cutting objective to attain sustainable development.
“We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic,
reshape the conversation, to make sure women's voices are heard and heeded,
not overlooked and ignored.”
Sheryl Sandberg
References and bibliography
1) Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action adopted at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. The full text is available
online: http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/.
2) Sustainable development as defined in the World Commission on Environment and
Development’s report “Our Common Future” (1987).
3) UNDP (2005), Human Development Report, p. 61.
4) OSAGI (2001), factsheet on “Important Concepts underlying Gender Mainstreaming”,
available online: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/pdf/factsheet2.pdf.
5) http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/womenempowerment/o
verview.html
6) "Empowering women for sustainable development", Economic Commission for
Europe, March
2011.http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/commission/2011/Informal%20docu
ment%20No.%202.pdf
7) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2013/493019/IPOL-
FEMM_ET(2013)493019_EN.pdf
8) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2016/556927/IPOL_IDA(
2016)556927_EN.pdf
9) UN Economic Commission for Europe: "Empowering women for sustainable
development", Sixty-fourth session, Geneva, 29–31 March 2011.
10) http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/commission/2011/Informal%20document
%20No.%202.pdf
11) UN Women: “Position paper on Monitoring Gender Equality and the Empowerment
of Women and Girls in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Opportunities
and Challenges", 2015. http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-
library/publications/2015/9/indicators-position-paper
12) UN World Commission on Environment and Development: "Our Common Future".
March 1987. http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf
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