Does Work Necessarily Empower Women?

Title: Does Work Necessarily Empower Women?
Venue: Church Centre of The United Nation
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m

This interactive session raised questions about if – and how- paid work leads to women’s empowerment. The opening panelists reflected briefly on how intersectional feminists’ research and action have enriched the understanding of women’s paid work and empowerment. Briefly defining intersectional feminist, this type of feminists introduces the notion of interlocking oppressions, that is, macro-level connections linking systems of oppression such as race, class, and gender (Anyon, 1994). This is the model describing the social structures that create social positions. The panelists encouraged the audience members to share their ideas around the topic in order to add broader perspectives and diverse voices. The question was debated in three areas: women’s empowerment and patriarchy and neoliberalism, marginalized women’s empowerment in Canada, and young immigrant women and empowerment.

Psychologist Nayyar Javed from Saskatoon Adult Community Mental Health, addressed the question: “Does paid work necessarily empower all women despite patriarchy and neoliberalism?” She pointed to the intersections of neoliberal capitalistic patriarchy as obstacles impeding feminists’ goal of equality in both western and non-western societies. However, she mentioned that equality gap is greater in developing countries such as Pakistan. Women in these countries experience worse situations compared to western countries due to traditional and patriarchal norms. She further criticized the argument of some researchers who claim we are in a post-feminist period, where the classic issues of feminists (oppression, marginalization, lack of autonomy) no longer describe many young white women’s state of affairs. Javed explained that the way white western women interact within their everyday neoliberal society has a lot to do with their stated feelings of greater economic freedom, autonomy, and growing ambition to succeed. However, she agreed that young white western women in many ways seem to be pulling ahead of young white western men in measurements of success.

The second theme, marginalized women’s empowerment in Canada was addressed by Professor Ann Denis from the University of Ottawa. She explained that since the 1960s, intersectionality has been publicized as the most important addition to sociology and feminist studies in recent history, addressing experiences of subordination to multiple social categories, like race, class, gender, and sexuality. She explained that one of the latest research projects from the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW) focuses on marginalized women’s empowerment in Canada through an intersectional feminist lens. Human Resources and Development Canada (HRDC) has adopted the Designated Group Policy which recognizes that certain groups of people are disadvantaged in the job market and concentrated in certain types and levels of work. Professor Denis believed that marginalized women face more barriers to empowerment, and they need broader support. A solution to this challenge includes deploying several strategies to increase the participation of marginalized groups that are poorly represented in skilled trades. For example, the Government of Ontario has initiated various programs to eliminate many barriers that prevented these groups from being more fully integrated in better-paying occupations.  http://www.criaw-icref.ca/en/

Regine Alende Tshombokongo from the Training Centre for Young Immigrant Women (CEJFI), Montreal, related some successful stories of women who have been trained to work. Their work has provided them an opportunity for financial independence. She highlighted how the financial independence of her trainees has led to their economic empowerment. Through gaining economic empowerment, the women found more opportunities to raise their voices in their private and social life. However, during discussions, a female audience member asked Tshombokongo whether the female trainees had the authority to spend their money. The audience member explained that in her country (Democratic Republic of Congo) female members do not have the authority to spend their own money; rather it goes to the pockets of male members. Ms. Tshombokongo replied that she and her colleagues have not heard similar experiences, and almost all women have used their salary to improve their own lives and the lives of their families.

References:

Anyon, J. (1994). The retreat of Marxism and socialist feminism: Postmodern and poststructural theories in education. Curriculum Inquiry, 24(2), 115-133.