Do you know what female empowerment is? The term is widely used on social media to often talk about beauty standards and self-acceptance of the female image. But the concept goes much further..

The concept of “female empowerment” emerged in the United States in the 1970s, with the aim of debating civil issues related to race. Soon, the concept was embraced by female audiences all over the world. In Brazil, the term began to gain strength from the second decade of the 2000s, with the rise of social networks.

But the idea is old: the fight for women’s rights and their insertion in public spaces, such as education, paid work and even leadership positions, emerged in the 19th century. It is a political and social movement that seeks to promote the strength of women, whose main characteristic is the fight for gender equality and, consequently, the greater participation of women in society.

How to promote female empowerment?

To achieve female empowerment it is necessary to act in all social spheres. So much so that the UN established gender equality as one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of the goals to be achieved by 2030.

In addition, the Organization also indicated seven principles of female empowerment:

1. Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality;
2. Treat all men and women fairly at work – respect and support human rights and non-discrimination;
3. Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all male and female workers;
4. Promote education, training and professional development of women;
5. Implement business development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women;
6. Promote gender equality through community initiatives and advocacy;
7. Measure and publish progress towards achieving gender equality.

Women’s empowerment in practice

In everyday life, civil society can also act to promote female empowerment. The Instituto Ramacrisna has several actions that seek to provide more opportunities for women.

The first of these is the Girls in Network, which offers several workshops to teenagers to enhance STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). In addition, the initiative prepares girls for the challenges of the technological age in a predominantly male area, developing socialization actions.

In the Technology and Programming workshop, students learn application development processes, incorporation of interfaces and user experience on mobile platforms and devices. With this, students learn the language of programming to create applications, with interactive forms and interfaces, data storage and communication with other devices.

Throughout the project, they are also introduced to female references in the field of technology, which serve as an example and inspiration and, at the end of the project, the students develop a mobile application.

At Ampliando Fronteiras, adolescents and young women in situations of social and personal vulnerability from Igarapé are trained professionally. The project is not exclusive to girls, but has significant participation from them.

Promoting their insertion in the labor market, women participate in free courses in the areas of Basic IT, Sales and Logistics, which take place in Igarapé, while courses in Car Mechanics, Welding and Installation Electricians take place at the headquarters of the Ramacrisna Institute in Betim. In addition, the students receive a uniform, didactic material and certification. 

Ampliando Fronteiras is a partnership between the Ramacrisna Institute, BrazilFoundation and the city of Igarapé to train young people in the city as entrepreneurs, in several areas. Of the 68 participants in the entrepreneurship course, 54 were women, representing 78%. Of the 15 selected to receive a contribution of R$15,000.00 to open their enterprise, 11 were women, representing 73%. Very significant data on the entrepreneurial competence of young women. 

Women in the Third Sector

In 2021, the manifesto “The Strength of Women in the Third Sector” was launched. The movement is an initiative by Fundamig and Conectidea, with the participation of managers from various Civil Society Organizations, including the Ramacrisna Institute.

The document points to the appreciation and empowerment of women as ways to strengthen not only women, but also the Third Sector in the country. For this, the working group pointed out the importance of creating spaces for female speech, leadership, training and awareness. In this way, equal opportunities and the effective and respected presence of women in spaces of power are encouraged.

Now, the Working Group conducts a survey on the profile and needs of women working in the sector. From there, the team will prepare a guide with proposals to encourage female qualification.

Be a transforming agent in the reality of girls and women and do your part to promote female empowerment. Get in touch with us and learn how to collaborate.