Description

In discussing empowerment and the challenges that arise from adopting empowerment as a development objective, it is necessary to understand the context in which the concept of empowerment has gained currency. We examine briefly how the term empowerment has come to populate development discourses. In doing so, we also analyse the many facets inherent in such a loaded term and reflect on the question of what constitutes empowerment. We identify that empowerment is a process that enhances agency; however, the ability to exercise agency must be viewed within the multiple contexts including the political, social, cultural and economic institutions which affect people’s lives.