Women Empowerment in Colleges is a matter that is not only hardly talked about but is also an issue that hardly receives any attention or debate.
What is women empowerment?
Going by the dictionary definition it is the process in which women expand and recreate what it is that they can be, do, and accomplish in a circumstance that they previously were denied. So basically it is allowing women to function without putting visible and invisible barriers on their path to success.
For ages now women have been a part of the marginalized class that was denied equality of opportunity. All they were seen fit to do was give birth, raise children and look after the household. I agree all of them are mammoth tasks in themselves but definitely not all that women are capable of doing. Though there has been a steady decline in the number of people that believe a woman’s place is in the kitchen, we still have a long way to go.
Colleges – an institution still out of reach of many women across the world and hence it becomes all the more imperative that the women who do cross the hurdles of society and reach College are empowered enough to influence and help other women to do so as well.
Hence, women empowerment in colleges is a necessity if we want mankind to move in the right direction. The point now is how do achieve women empowerment in colleges. It can be achieved by the following means:
1) Developing a culture where real-world problems are acknowledged- College life is one of the most formative years of one’s life. It is here we learn about the world outside the cocoon we grew up in. It is imperative that during these years women get to know that being a woman will affect major career decisions of their life. It might be a hard pill to swallow but ladies need to know about the hurdles that await them in the real world. Knowledge of these hurdles is the first step towards overcoming them and overcoming hurdles is what empowerment is all about.
2) Helping them boosts self-esteem and confidence – Many girls suffer from self-esteem and confidence problems and need a supportive and engaging facility to develop these essential traits. It is important that the girls are encouraged to perform well not only in academics but co-curricular and extra-curricular as well. These activities need to be designed in a way that helps develop confidence in young people as being confident is an essential part of being empowered.
3) Creating an environment that supports the motive of women environment – Introducing positive female role models, letting girls be themselves, letting them fail and learn from their mistakes and encouraging them to spread their wings in all dimensions of a healthy college life are simple steps that will go a long way in empowering women.
Women Empowerment in colleges is not only a step towards the betterment of women but also an important step in the betterment of our society cause as said by Ghanaian scholar Dr. James Emmanuel Kwegyir-Aggrey “If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family.”
