Women Empowerment, Gender, and Feminine Energy
“Man is defined as a human being and woman as a female – whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.” – Simone de Beauvoir
Let’s look at the definition of “empowerment.” Empowerment is “the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights.” When I decided to write this article on women’s empowerment, I realized that the idea of empowerment will vary for each of us, particularly because of our gender as females.
Examining the interplay of gender and female empowerment reveals a comprehensive definition: “Gender equality is defined in USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy as a state in which both men and women have equal opportunities to benefit from and contribute to economic, social, cultural, and political development; enjoy socially valued resources and rewards; and realize their human rights.” Next, as we explore gender: Gender is a complex social concept that broadly refers to characteristics such as roles, behaviors, and norms associated with masculinity and femininity. This perspective was influenced by the view known as biological determinism, which suggests that biology (i.e., sex) predetermines or limits a range of social, psychological, and behavioral traits inherently different between men and women. This perspective has led to stereotypes such as “men are rational and unemotional” and “women are passive and caring.”
While most people today reject biologically deterministic views, many still do not distinguish between sex and gender. However, the conversation is slowly beginning to shift due to decades of feminist literature. We are already functioning under our preconceived notions of what it means to be a woman. But first and foremost, it is important for the world to see us as human beings. Beyond our dresses, long hair, and saris, we represent the unique essence of the diversity of nature and the human species. Our distinct characteristics as women do not make us weak; we need to shatter our own perspectives about what it means to be a woman. To me, being a woman is about staying connected to my feminine energy, which includes intuition, wisdom, compassion, sensuality, and creativity, and letting that empower me to propel further in a patriarchal world. It is important to cultivate feminine energy all around us, by teaching both men and women to embrace the feminine energy within.
Women empowerment is not about dominance or control, but rather an innate quality that thrives on authenticity and self-acceptance. It should be about embodying feminine energy, normalizing it, and bringing respect back to the feminine way. Feminine isn’t a gender; it’s an energy that we can all embody, one that is critical for everyone, especially leaders, to embrace. As we step into our feminine power, let’s bring good men and allies with us, helping them embrace their own feminine traits and shift the power structures they operate in to reflect more of our perspective, rather than the other way around as it has been for so long.
-Neelofer Hilal is a passionate freelance writer, avid traveler, podcaster, futurist, dreamer, and social science enthusiast.
