Government Women Empowerment Movements That the World Needs to Follow
A world where there is a balanced distribution of political and economic power is a future that exudes success and harmony. One way to achieve it is empowering women, giving them roles that will counterbalance male dominance in the field of politics and economy. This will lead to a world with laws and policies that are all about equality. We are far from perfection, but women empowerment as a voice is becoming more influential, with governments making women empowerment movements.
Here, we have discussed how countries and world leaders recognize the powerful impact of women empowerment to create a better world.
Barack Obama on Female Leadership
When Barack Obama first took office, the White House was like any political office—male-dominated. Female staffers had a hard time voicing out their opinions. They had to do a meeting strategy to help out other women to make sure they were heard during discussions. They called it amplification: when a woman voiced out an idea, other women would repeat it and gave recognition to its author. This was their form of women empowerment; it forced men to recognize the contribution. Barack Obama noticed it and started calling more women to share ideas and opinions.
Now, Barack Obama encourages women empowerment on leadership roles, believing that an increase in female leadership will improve government policy. In a speech at the African Leadership in Johannesburg, South Africa, Obama said:
“Every day I read the newspaper and just think, like, ‘Brothers, what’s wrong with you guys? What’s wrong with us?’ We’re violent, we’re bullying. Just not handling our business. I think empowering more women on the continent, that … is going to lead to some better policies.”
Justin Trudeau’s Diverse Cabinet
Back in 2015, the first time Justin Trudeau was named Canada’s prime minister, he made history. The ministers were mostly aged under 50 and were equally balanced between men and women—with 15 women and 15 men. He practiced women empowerment by giving female ministers important roles in the cabinet, with Chrystia Freeland in international trade and Maryam Monsef—an Afghanistan refugee—who oversaw the democratic reform portfolio.
After he sworn-in that year, Trudeau told the reporters his gender parity and diversity promise: “It’s important to be here before you today to present Canada a cabinet that looks like Canada.”
And how this women empowerment affect Trudeau’s administration?
With the help of Minister of Finance Bill Morneau and Minister of International Trade Freeland, Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) had increased by USD 93 billion in only two years. There was more money allocated for health care. Canada’s unemployment rate went down tow 5.7% in December 2017, added more 394,200 full-time jobs. And because of this feminist administration, more than CA$40 million per year were allocated to women’s programs and organizations that deal with violence against women and empowering women in leadership roles.
The United Arab Emirates on the Importance of Women Empowerment
The United Arab Emirates knows the powerful impact of women’s roles in the economy. Before it was discouraged, but now, UAE ranks as one of the leading countries that promote gender equality in the region. UAE established the Gender Balance Council that promotes the importance of female leadership. UAE Women Leadership Program is one of the active organizations that provide leadership training programs for the women of the UAE. This country also requires government organizations and businesses to have female board members.
Because of these women empowerment efforts, more opportunities are given to women. There’s an increase of Emirati women graduates all across the university in UAE, especially in male-dominated fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Women have powerful positions, like H.E Shamma Al Mazrouei who was the youngest appointed minister in the world at the age of 22. Emirati women are encouraged to take key roles to lead the UAE into a future full of economic growth.