Before ‘empowering’ women and girls, listen to them

Have you ever noticed the obsession with empowering women and girls around us? It's all-encompassing, uniting governments, donors, non-governmental organisations, and individuals who champion gender equality.

Don't get me wrong. The fight for gender equality is far from over, and we have miles to go before reaching the utopia we dream of. However, something about the term "empowerment" nags at me. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “giving someone the power or authority to do something”. You can hardly find a gender equality poster, training, webinar, or conference without it. Full disclosure: I've actively participated in many of these empowerment initiatives.

Yet, lately, I've been contemplating whether “empowerment” stands in contrast to gender equality. Consider this: Why must women and girls be “given” power and authority, and who assumes the role of the giver? Moreover, why should women receive or be given something they already possess?

This led me to believe that we might need to shift our focus from empowering women to teaching them how to harness the power they inherently possess. It can only happen if women recognise their power, use it, and take actions that will affect many generations.

Their voices

One major drawback of the “empowerment” mindset, particularly for advocates of gender equality like me, is the blind spots it creates. After spending years dissecting the challenges women and girls face and shouting ourselves hoarse about, there's a tendency to assume we know exactly what they need, inadvertently neglecting to listen to their voices.

I was compelled to reassess my privileges and assumptions during a recent high-level dialogue on Quality, Equity, and Dignity in Maternal and New-born Health organised by the White Ribbon Alliance Kenya in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund.

Initially expecting to hear from high-ranking government officials and other dignitaries, I was pleasantly surprised (and adequately schooled) when teenage mothers, a chief, and mothers from across Kenya took the stage, sharing their first-hand experiences with maternal and new-born health.

One particularly harrowing tale shared by a panellist — a mother of 15 from Korogocho, Nairobi — was that she was so traumatised by childbirth at medical facilities that she had chosen home births instead. One thing was clear: we needed to listen to them even before we considered empowering them.

Angela Nguku, the executive director at the White Ribbon Alliance Kenya, aptly referred to it as “telling the story of the hunt, not from the hunter's perspective but from the lion's perspective.”

Tangible action

The rallying call from the panellists, particularly to those fixated on empowering women, was to listen to what women had to say about maternal healthcare. I assure you that their experiences were a poignant reminder that empowerment means nothing if we do not heed the voices of those we seek to empower, and if it is not accompanied by tangible action.

Listening should be the bare minimum requirement for empowerment.  

Miss Oneya provides insights on social and gender topics. (@FaithOneya; [email protected])