Running head: FEMALE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT ALL AROUND THE WORLD 1

Female Economic Empowerment All Around the World

John Pangilinan

e3 Civic High
EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 2

Abstract

Economic empowerment for women around the world calls for many changes. Women around

the world today are making substantially less money than men and that causes the collapse of a

family. In order to give women these opportunities, legal changes must be made in countries all

around the world. This way, women who were not employed into a job before, may now have a

better chance. It would be an advantage to women if they all were able to get jobs and provide

for themselves and their families. Breaking cultural and societal normalities would also be an

advantage for women, making getting jobs and maybe even life easier for women. All things

considered, women to be economically empowered because they deserve to be equal to males.

Keywords: women, economic empowerment, countries around the world, change

EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 3

Female Economic Empowerment All Around the World

Around the world, women in underdeveloped and poor countries have very limited access

to jobs that can help them provide for their families. They are affected by the fact that, if they do

get a job, they are paid less than men. This calls for female economic empowerment. The book

Half the Sky mentions five themes that cover issues that women face all around the world.

They are Gender-Based Violence, Sex Trafficking and Intergenerational Prostitution, Maternal

Mortality, Economic Empowerment, and Education. Of these themes, economic empowerment is

the most prevalent issue that women face that must be attended to. Although many people

believe that the best way to empower women is through legal changes because the law is to be

followed by every individual in the country, the actual way to empower women economically is

by breaking societal normalities because they create a barrier from attaining success for women.

There are many reasons as to why women have a low entry job rate in the world, many of

them stem from societal normalities, better known as social norms. These normalities are what

the world has gotten used to, thus creating a stumbling block for womens success. Journalists

from the Department of Education in Pakistan have found out that, the data on female

participation rate in education and economically active female population (by level of education)

confirms that there exist some virtual barriers that may be called "glass walls" which confine

women to household life, which brings up the stereotype and normality that women should be

in the house, doing chores and taking care of the children. If women were given the opportunity

to work and earn a living, then they will be able to earn and provide for their family. According

to Pulitzer Prize winning authors Kristof and WuDunn, the simplest solution is to reallocate

spending. One way to do that is to put more money in the hands of women. (Kristof and
EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 4

WuDunn, 2009, p. 193-194). Rwanda is a country that was forced to have women included in

the economy after the patriarchal country had faced genocide where 800,000 people were killed.

After everything had winded down, 70% of the population was female. Because women were

found to be more responsible than men, the country moved forward with knowing the fact that

women were needed to progress (Kristof and WuDunn, 2009, p. 211-212). According to the

United Nations Statistics Division, ever since the genocide and the shift of the countrys focus,

the womens share in the workforce of Rwanda has been at least 50%, which means that Rwanda

has attained a fair share in the workforce, but women are still paid less than men. According to

the Global Gender Gap Report 2014 issued by the World Economic Forum, Rwandas profile

shows that Rwanda has reached equality in workforce participation, but the money that women

earn is only a fraction compared to what men earn. Women in Rwanda earn 76 cents for every

dollar a male makes. Women need a chance to turn the tides. Without a window of opportunity,

change slows down. The gender pay gap narrows over time, but at a sluggish pace. Women need

a community that accepts the fact that women in the work environment are of help in the global

community.

People need to be more civic minded and generous when it comes to helping others,

especially if the receiving end of help is a poor country. Becoming a global citizen, by caring for

the betterment of the world was one of the things that Murvelene Clarke wanted to be. She had

recently decided to join the organization called Women for Women International, where she was

able to support a needy woman abroad. She was paired with Claudine Mukakarisa, a woman who

had lived through the genocide of the people in Rwanda. Clarke sent 27 dollars a month to

Mukakarisa. Claudine had been working small jobs to support her two children and Clarkes
EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 5

monthly donation helped her greatly. Being a part of Women for Women International helped

Claudine, as they taught her and many other women skills in vocational jobs to help the women

earn money. After endorsing Claudine for nine months, Clarke was laid off at work and had to

stop supporting Claudine. Claudine had already had her head start and the support had done its

work. (Kristof and WuDunn, 2009, p. 213-215). The fact that Claudines life turned around in

nine months from a generous donor, is a feat that shows that we must help one another to bring

empowerment for women. Through organizations like Women for Women International, people

who are privileged and care like Murvelene Clarke, and needy people willing to help themselves

like Claudine Mukakarisa, economic empowerment is at the women of the worlds fingertips.

Counter Argument

Although many people in the world push for change in female economic empowerment,

some individuals might not always agree with the means of the way the issue is being addressed.

Arguers may suggest to amend laws through the fact that laws are to be heeded by the citizens of

the country. The United States has done this already, in 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed by

John F. Kennedy. The Act was to alleviate the gender pay gap, but decades later, the Act has

improved the state of the gender pay gap in the United States by a very slim margin, from 58%

equality in 1963, to 66% in the World Gender Pay Gap Report of 2014 for the United States. If

laws arent going to be enforced, then the people that are supposed to be supported by the law

will not receive the help they need.

Conclusion
EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 6

Women are in need of the attention that the present problem is posing to them. Females

need to have the proper support from global citizens and those who push for change in the world.

Female economic empowerment has been an urgent issue, and it is high time now to create

change. Breaking down the glass ceiling is a facile endeavor. The fact that womens ceiling is

just glass means that one correct strike will break it. With a multitude of people working towards

change, it's only a matter of time before females can be economically empowered. With global

citizens, willing donors, caring organizations, and the destruction of societal normalities,

economic empowerment for women all around the world can be achieved.
EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 7

Annotated Bibliography

Arain, A. A., Ramzan, M., Jafri, I. H., & Iqbal, M. Z. (2014, December 31). Why do Female

Graduates have Low Entry Rate in the Job Market? Journal of Educational Research,

17(2). Retrieved from

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=sddp_main&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE

%7CA450281691&asid=cf3aef81559ae3b8622477d9ac1afd00

The question that the journalists pose to this study cover many different reasons as to

why females have a low entry rate in the job market. All of the authors of this journal are

from the Journal of Educational Research from Pakistan. This is also essential to my

essay because of the multiple statistics as well as numerous sources cited over the entire

journal. The journal is very extensive and shows a unique perspective of how females

dont earn as much as men, they have a low entry rate into the job market.

Farrell, W. (2005). Why men earn more: The startling truth behind the pay gap--and what

women

can do about it. New York: AMACOM

The book Why Men Earn More dives into a philosophy if women are paid less, then why

arent more women hired to benefit the employer, only having to pay more women less

than they would with the same number of men. Farrell is a renowned doctor and has

written many other best sellers regarding men, women, and the economy among the two.

Farrell makes many points to also re-energize the debate on gender roles and workplace

dynamic.

Kristof, N. D., & WuDunn, S. (2009). Half the sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for
EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 8

women worldwide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

The book Half the Sky tackles various womens rights issues that occur all around the

world, among them, economic empowerment. The book has stories direct from women

that have been affected by the inequality and includes a call for change. Half the Sky

includes stories of these girls who have been through so much heartache and hardship,

yet they still find hope. It is shown how a little bit of help can turn the lives of these

women around. Kristof and WuDunn are both credible, as they are both Pulitzer Prize

winners and journalists from the New York Times. Their work is unique in the sense that

they visited various countries and areas to interview people and document what theyve

seen into a book and a movie.

Torregosa, L. L. (2011). Progress for women, but a long way to go. The New York

Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/us/02iht-letter02.html

This newspaper article has pinpointed the issues of female economic empowerment. The

statistics and points brought up many parts that will support my essay greatly. The article

not only mentions the achievements women have attained but also poses the call to action

to get women involved in larger positions of society. Coming from the New York Times,

the article is credible and is one of the few that put emphasis on this hard pressing topic.

Torregosa effectively uses statistics and numerous sources to further support the

argument.

United Nations Statistics Division. Women's share of labour force. (2008). Retrieved on January

19, 2017, from

http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=women%2B&d=GenderStat&f=inID%3A107.
EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 9

The United Nations Statistics Division have compiled data on Womens Share of Labour

Force on numerous countries, territories, and ages. With the statistical compilation of this

data, my essay with be supported by the very organization pushing and creating change

for many people, not only girls all throughout the world. Being a part of the United

Nations ensures that this source is not only credible, but accurate. These statistics will be

used effectively in my essay as points on the ratio of many women there are compared to

men in the workplace in the perspective of many developing countries as well as age

parameters of these women.

World Economic Forum. The global gender gap report. (2014) Retrieved on January 17, 2017,

from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GGGR14/GGGR_CompleteReport_2014.pdf

The Gender Gap Report will be an essential part to my essay, as the report is recent, and

credible, as the World Economic Forum has produced the information. With the country

profiles and information on the gender pay gap, I will be able to further prove my point

on the topic. This compilation of data is unique, as the UN database does not quite delve

into the gender pay gap as extensive as the World Economic Forum, with graphs,

rankings, and percentiles from 142 countries.