The Internet and the Rise in Self-Empowerment of Chinese Women: A Multi-Method Analysis of Women's Blogs

2. Using Power To Understand Empowerment In Relation To Individual Women

The basic meaning of empowerment is the ability of people to become autonomous, purposive and creative actors in their own choices and decision making (Kabeer, 1999, 2005, 2010; Lister, 2003; Rowlands, 1997). This definition points to an understanding that the fundamental tenet of empowerment is individualistic. Within the realm of development studies, in which the term ‘women’s empowerment’ was first introduced, research into the subject has unambiguously tended to use power – the root-concept of empowerment – as a conceptual tool to stress the individualistic aspects of the concept. In this respect, three models emerge in the depiction of power: (1) power to, (2) power with, and (3) power from within.

The first model, power to, refers to the processes through which individual women and groups develop a sense of agency to change normative rules that govern their lives, but not necessarily at the expense of other people in the broader social structure. Following that, the second model, power with, focuses on the development of “the ability to negotiate and influence the nature of a relationship and the decisions made within it” (Rowlands, 1997, p. 15). It is important to note here that this power with is consistent with an individualistic rather than a group-centred perspective.