Women’s empowerment: Contentions and contestations

Abstract

This article introduces a critical discussion of women’s empowerment and questions the ways the concept has been interpreted and applied within mainstream development policy and practice. The authors argue that empowerment should not be reduced to a set of predetermined indicators, resources or development interventions. Instead, understanding empowerment requires closer attention to the changes taking place in women’s everyday lives and to the social, political and personal processes through which women gain greater control over their circumstances. The article highlights the importance of looking beyond conventional measures of empowerment to consider questions of power, relationships, identity, agency and lived experience. It introduces a collection of contributions that challenge simplified uses of the term “empowerment” and explore alternative ways of understanding positive change in women’s lives.