salome ganibe : women empowerment asean case studies
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Women Empowerment:ASEAN Case Studies
MS SALOME GANIBESenior Consultant and Gender Expert
Gender Equality Resource Center, Inc.
Republic of the Philippines
Women Empowerment
Increasing the economic, political or social strength of women which shall provide
them equal access to ownership, management and control of production
and of material and informational resources and benefits in the family,
community and society.
Women’s Empowerment
Empowerment from within
Three Dimensions
Empowerment from others
Empowerment from the environment
How can women be empowered?
Internal Dimension (within)
• “capacity” – self-esteem,
recognizing own rights, and not asking other people to give you rights
• “capability”- knowledge and skills
“Others” Dimension
• Raising recognition of women’s rights, capacities and capabilities
• Raising awareness about gender and awareness about women’s rights among women and men.
Women are empowered by education and training
Support organizations like banks, marketing services, corporations, business councils, government agencies, etc. should be sensitive to the needs of women
How can women be empowered?
Environment Dimension
• Making the institutions in which we all function sensitive to women’s needs
Women have to have access in decision-making
because it is decision making that creates the environment
Tools for Economic Empowerment of Women and Gender Equality
Financial Services
• Finance Institutions (Banks, government agencies, MFIs)
• Credit Unions
• Banks
• Corporations
Appropriate Technology
• Aid for income generating activities of women and family
• Community-based and uses local resources, wisdom and potentials
Solidarity groupsCo-operativesSavings mobilization groups
-seed banks, animal banks, rice banks
Handicraft productionFood technologyAlternative energy –solar, biogas
Tools for Economic Empowerment of Women and Gender Equality
Capacity and Capability Building
• Enhancing self-esteem and self-confidence
• Having competence by building knowledge and skills needed in business
Business Management, &Marketing and Trading
• Support in terms of technology and facility for women’s businesses
Women empowerment programsTraining and development for womenLeadership development for women
Business Development ServicesTwinning/ Mentoring ProgramBusiness CounselingMarketing /Trading Facility like showroomE-market or eMall, business development centers,
Tools for Economic Empowerment of Women and Gender Equality
Marketing through ICT
• Use of internet-based toolsfor doing business with others
• The challenge: poor connectivity in some ASEAN countries
Networking and Advocacy
• Networks and Linkages supporting women businesses and advocating women empowerment and gender equality
Women Co-op Productivity Center (Thailand)
E-Mall (ASEAN)IT@COOPS (Philippines, Thailand,
Indonesia)
Women business councils and networkChamber of CommerceAWEN (ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs’ Network)
The ASEAN Woman is…
Empowering a woman is empowering the household- the community- the society
resilient, creative and resourceful
loyal, family-oriented and the keeper of culture and values, and traditional enterprises
GENDER EQUALITY
GE refers to a situation in which women and men have the same value,
equal rights and commitments.
Gender Equality is a basic human right.
It is also a prerequisite for sustainable development
and reduced poverty.
Significant impacts of GE in Economic Growth?
Expands the human capital Raises labor productivity
Improves agricultural productivity
Enhanced gender equality attracts investment in physical capital
Increasing membership (M & F)Better-educated staff / members Higher value economic activity
Raising knowhow of would-beentrepreneurs
Increasing opportunity to access productive employment
Removing barriers to entrepreneurship created by laws & social norms
Removing gender discrimination in agriculture production
Provide equal distributions of resources e.g. credit extensions,labor and farm inputs
More productive workforce increases ROI which in turn generates increase investment & promotes growth
Higher household savings rates through more productive family members allow greater investment
“No nation can achieve the kind of growth that we all want and need if half of the
population never gets to compete. And we cannot afford any longer to exclude the
energy and talent that women add to our economies.”
-U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
speech at the Singapore Management University
November 17, 2012