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TopTheoretical Framework And Literature Review
According to Moglen (1983), the term really took off with literature discussing empowerment of marginalized peoples, such as women and the poor, and especially with respect to community development. In 1983, for example, the Women’s Studies International Forum talked about empowerment of women in “Power and Empowerment.” From then until now, the literature has ever more been focused on these issues. In 2010, research articles were published entitled “Power and empowerment: Fostering effective collaboration in meeting the needs of orphans and vulnerable children” Wallis (2010) and “Women empowerment through the SHG approach” Augustine (2010) that demonstrate just a few ways how empowerment is being discussed in the academic community.
Ufomata (2000) added the evidence from Africa; a woman is defined by her marriage roles and the husbands, the neighborhood as well as in laws has an upper hand in decision making. DFID (2005) defines women’s empowerment as “A process of transforming gender relations through groups or individuals developing awareness of women’s subordination and building their capacity to challenge it.”
According to Kabeer (1999: 473), empowerment refers to “the expansion in people’s ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them.” An almost similar definition is given by Sen as the “expansion of capabilities of persons to lead the kinds of lives they value” (Sen, 1999: 18). In addition, Deshmukh-Ranadive (2003) argues that empowerment does not happen when incomes are generated and livelihoods enhanced, because this does not change the hierarchies and structures at household and family levels.
The author characterizes empowerment as a person’s freedom to do and achieve the desired goals (Sen, 1985). This framework of empowerment focuses on the individual. Other authors take a slightly more conical approach, taking into deliberation the institutional, social or political structures rules and norms within which the actors make and follow their choices. Alsop, Bertelsen and Holland (2007) in “Empowerment in Practice from Analysis to Implementation” define empowerment as the process of enhancing an individual’s capacity to make choices and then transforming those choices into the sought-after outcome. Similarly, in an article written in 2002 entitled “Empowerment and Poverty Reduction” by Narayan (2007), the definition of empowerment is seen as increasing poor people’s freedom of choice and action to shape their own lives.