Female Economic Empowerment
EcoFeminist Entrepreneur: Gender Equality & Conscious Capitalism
With females being half the population, they are literally the single largest persecuted 'minority' on the planet. Calling for women to have an equal share in the stewardship of the world is not anti-male. On the contrary, women's rights are human rights and human rights benefit men too.
How can we use capitalism and business to create sustainable models for improving women's lives and creating female empowerment? To be considered a feminist enterprise, a project must address at least one of the following areas where females in the world are often disempowered.
Being an EcoFeminist Entrepreneur is a great way to change the world and give yourself a meaningful job in the process.
Using business as a tool for female equality is contrary to the teachings of certain strains of feminism. To the detriment of women in general, some feminists have associated patriarchy with capitalism. They tend to look towards charity and government based policies for solutions to the issues around gender equality. They base their movement on 'victim politics'.
We argue that feminism can use capitalism as a tool for achieving female equality as well as to provide meaningful jobs.
This is where you can begin your research! Reach about the areas where women often receive unequal treatment. What pillars of female empowerment do you feel passionate about? Those might be the pillars where you create an ecofeminist business.
The Way It Is:
The sad truth is that even in the 21st century, most women in the world have no choice but to rely on a man to provide for their basic needs. As a consequence, women make up a disproportionate percentage of the most economically disadvantaged on the planet.
Women have the potential to be earning as much or more than their male counterparts. However, in the male-dominated economic society that we live in there is a barrier known as the 'glass ceiling' which often prevents women from achieving their full potential.
According to legal publisher Find Law, the definition of gender discrimination is as follows: Discrimination on the basis of gender taking many forms; sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and unequal pay for women who do the same jobs as men.
Blatant gender suppression is decreasing in the Western world, but in Middle Eastern Nations, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, basic human rights and dignities are often ignored for women.
On a global scale, when women have been stripped of their rights to speak, act or merely be seen in public, it makes it very hard for them to get a foot in the door of any job field, resulting in fewer women able to achieve financial independence.
The male-dominated institutions responsible for these discriminatory standards are exonerated for their actions because they are considered politically and religiously acceptable.
In the West, society not only turns a blind eye to the treatment and objectification of women in the work setting but often encourages it.
Societal and religious Patriarchy has the effect of rendering females financially dependent. According to The Simple Dollar, "Married women are often completely unaware of their family finances, relying on their spouse not only for income but also to design their family’s financial blueprint." Women are, in turn, encouraged to focus on familial responsibilities and hospitality in the home. They are forced to uphold their male companion's ideals of a family, leaving them with no extra energy to focus on ideas beyond themselves.
According to the Pew Research Center, “About half (51%) of survey respondents say that children are better off if a mother is home and doesn’t hold a job, while just 8% say the same about a father.” Surprisingly, this research implies that more than half the respondents would agree a good business businesswoman mother cannot excel at both. However, there have not been comparable studies between stay at home fathers. It is clear that despite evidence of a woman's ability to provide and take charge, a woman's 'place' has been predisposed and defined by today's society.
The Way It Could Be: Don't just fight the glass ceiling. Own it!
One of the most productive ways to become financially and personally independent is to become a business owner. There are already thousands of' femmepreneurs' - female-owned businesses.
As well there are many resources for the female entrepreneur. For example, programs such as the Roadmap foundation provide women with the necessities that are essential in the building blocks of a business; "the creation of a “roadmap” that gives funders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governments a path to programs that effectively help women improve their incomes, productivity, and ultimately, their communities." This means that a woman may have access to resources she normally may not, in order to help her reach her independent business goals.
According to a report by The Guardian, "The trend for increasing numbers of stay-at-home dads has been driven by growing numbers of women earning more than their partner – a quarter of women said they now earn more than their children's father." In some countries, (Denmark, Sweden & the UK), equal custody shared by mom and dad is granted at birth. This fairer settlement provides both parents with an opportunity to pursue careers as neither side has to feel more responsible.
Equal responsibility means that women are no longer obligated to remain as the child's primary caretaker around the clock. Mothers can dedicate equal time to child care and career without being accused of sacrificing the well being of their children in order to advance their careers.
According to a study published by the Harvard Business Review, “Not only were the women judged to be superior in areas where women are not traditionally thought to excel, such as developing others and building relationships, their ratings were significantly higher, on 12 of the 16 traits most important to overall leadership effectiveness.” In plain terms, where women were expected to fail, they actually exceeded expectations. And when it comes to overall leadership effectiveness, they excelled.
Success in the workplace can be translated to empowerment over one's career, capabilities, and financial stability. A strong woman builds a house with the bricks thrown at her- but it's about time we build a castle.
To quote finance guide The Simple Dollar, "When you are financially independent, you are the sole architect of your financial future." This means freedom of reliance and dependency upon others for your economic needs.
Please note that we make a distinction between dependency and partnership. In a partnership, both parties agree to contribute. In a dependency, one partner (usually men) does most of the financial contribution with the other being claimed as a 'dependent'. In a partnership, both parties agree upon their different contributions to the household.
We take the concept of being a female business owner one step further. By being an EcoFeminist Entrepreneur you are creating a marketable product or service that directly helps address an area of female inequality.
Once you have your idea you don't even have to rely on traditional sources of funding. Crowdfunding sites allow you to fully articulate your vision to receive financial support. If your idea has resonance, and you promote it well, you can now get funding.
Economic Feminista
- Breadwinner Moms – Pew Research Center
- Women in the Workplace – The Harvard Business Review
- Stay-At-Home Dads on the Up – The Guardian
- Gender Discrimination – Find Law
- Extreme Examples of Gender Equality – Listverse
- Roadmap for Women’s Economic Empowerment – The Roadmap Project
- Structured Settlements – Financial Literacy for Women
- Entrepreneurship is the New Women's Movement - Forbes Business Article
