The empowerment of women is a key driver for economic development and social progress. Women are the heart of every family.
To analyze this relationship, we selected a matched sample of mother/daughter and/or mother-in-law triads. Each triad included a senior woman (mother or mother-in-law) and her married daughter(s).
Empowered women were described as making sacrifices to increase savings for their families, taking loans, and inspiring their husbands and sons to work hard.
1. Invest in Women’s Education
Investing in women’s education helps them become more informed about healthcare and nutrition, have fewer children, marry at a later age and pursue careers that lead to greater income. This ultimately benefits their communities and the economy at large.
In addition, research has shown that investing in literacy programs leads to reduced fertility rates and a lower rate of infant mortality. Educating girls emerges as an essential lever to pull societies out of poverty traps and push them toward more equitable and prosperous futures.
Many charities that empower women and girls focus on raising awareness, providing scholarships, building schools, promoting gender equality in education and supporting young female entrepreneurs. Examples include Kiva, which has facilitated loans to entrepreneurs in 94 countries, and She’s the First, which supports girls so they can be the first in their families to reach educational milestones. Moreover, organizations like She Should Run help women prepare to become political leaders and fight for equal rights in their communities.
2. Activate Women in the Workplace
Women’s empowerment is closely tied to equal rights and opportunities. But it also means addressing workplace issues that affect female employees and their ability to achieve their professional goals.
To support and empower women in the workplace, organizations need to promote a diverse and inclusive culture that ensures women are able to participate in all aspects of their work. They should offer flexible work schedules, career progression policies and training programs for leadership development that are tailored to the needs of women. Providing mentoring programs and employee resource groups for women is another important way to give women more space in their jobs.
Moreover, incorporating equality and inclusion in the workplace helps to empower women and encourages them to feel more confident about their abilities, and they are also more likely to be motivated to achieve their career goals. In fact, research shows that when employees are empowered, their productivity levels increase. So, making female empowerment a core value in the workplace can boost organizational performance and profitability.
3. Invest in Women’s Health
Women’s health is a significant investment with proven economic benefits. It saves lives and boosts economies, but sadly, investments in this area have been historically undervalued.
This is starting to change. Since launching its first fund in 2015 and pioneering a FemTech fund in 2018, Portfolia has helped to diversify investor audiences, increase gender diversity among VC-backed founders, and bring investment into sectors that are less tapped—including women’s health innovations.
As such, it was a welcome development that during the 2023 World Health Summit, participants from global development, philanthropy and the private sector agreed on the need to move beyond philanthropy and make the case for financing women-centric solutions. This will require objectively articulating the economic value proposition of women’s health and building pathways to access new sources of capital and investors.
4. Support Women’s Organizations
Whether it’s providing safe havens for women who have been victims of violence, educating young girls, or tackling the problem of child marriage, many charities are working to empower women in unique ways. By supporting these organizations, you can help make a difference and encourage others to follow suit.
Ultimately, successful empowerment projects incorporate interventions under both the agency and context pillars. For instance, a project may promote WGE alongside core sectoral objectives like reducing poverty or improving employment outcomes, thereby ensuring that the project activities are tethered to specific achievements.
For example, a nonprofit like MEDA is working to improve access to financial services by designing products and fostering partnerships that address the needs of women in low-income communities. This approach supports women’s economic empowerment and also allows them to achieve specific employment outcomes. Another example is Vital Voices, which empowers women leaders to advocate for change in their societies. The organization has trained and mentored thousands of women, including political leaders and entrepreneurs, equipping them with the skills and networks they need to succeed.