What progress has been made in women’s empowerment and what factors have enabled this? This paper looks at the structural causes of women’s oppression and lack of power. It examines empowerment, and the programme-related implications of its various interpretations. The paper also provides an overview of the main factors that have enabled women and their allies to challenge unjust power relations and considers how the concept of empowerment can be operationalised, and how progress might be identified and measured. It concludes by reflecting on how international actors can most effectively support women’s empowerment.
Key findings:
Recommendations to international actors