About the Women's Empowerment UnitThe Concept of Women's Empowerment can be defined as offering the woman the ability to make strategic decisions to run her own life. It can also be defined as owning the resources that enable her to use them and benefit to achieve a set of achievements. Based on that, three interconnected elements arose to be important for her to practice her individual choices, those are: resources, management and achievements. Where each of them indicates different meaning, as the resources indicate material, social and human expectations and allowances. whereas the management indicates the ability of the woman or at least her feeling of being able to determine and meet her strategic aims and to act accordingly and make decisions based on that. On the other hand, the achievements indicate various results starting from achieving decant life style up to representing the women politically.Definitions of the experts to the concept of Women EmpowermentHere we illustrate definitions of the concept as of point of views of some experts:Naila Kabeer: (enabling the woman comes from the change in the relations that join the women and men, to lessen the control of men and grant the woman more power to control her life). She stressed ( the concept of woman empowerment is a concept that includes theoretical and practical capabilities that have to be applied practically rather than limiting them to just meaningless theoretical slogans).John Friedman: ( the concept of empowerment arises from the interaction of local, political and psychological social culture ). He believes in the existence of three types of authorities: the Political, Social and Psychological Authorities. the Political Authority has a vast impact through joint work and united voices. Whereas the Social Authority arises from dealing with social information and skills, besides the role of psychological power as an individual feeling that appears in the behavior as an over confidence and self-respect. He sees the empowerment as a social power that can be interpreted as a political power. He also indicates the importance of enhancing the Psychological, Political and Social consultation via social media. Kate Yang (Woman Empowerment is a complete change to procedures responsible to elevate the woman status in the community with the help and support of the state, and to focus on the politics and joint work, to enable her perform he own agenda and aims and increase her ability to control her life. Woman Empowerment Elements :There are Important elements to meet the woman empowerment, among which are:A-The woman right to determine her own expertiseB- The woman right to be able to control her life inside or outside the houseC- Her feeling of self-value, access to resources and the opportunity to benefit themD- Her right to influence the social and economic system on local and global bases Principle of Power Empowerment :It is possible to explain many Principles of power empowerment briefly as follow:Concentrate on training and developing the woman professionally. Implementing and developing projects, chains of imports and marketing policies that enable theEstablishing an advanced institutional leadership that aims to equalization among the gendersAchieving equality, just and non-discrimination among men and women, respecting them and preserve their rightsProviding health insurance for all labors either men or women, their entertainment, care about society initiatives to enhance equality among genders . to be more familiar with woman right in education you are advised to read article (the women right in education) Fields of Woman Empowermentsome of the Woman empowerment several fields:Economic Empowerment :The Economic Empowerment allows the woman to control the family resources and incomes, besides many Economical issues such as reaching the markets, providing equal work opportunities to that of men including advanced economical positions, participating in the Economic decisions making and enhancing her ability to financial independency through gaining profits and participating in man-power Political Empowerment :the Political Empowerment grants the woman the right to vote, involvement in politics after gaining the political knowledge, and representing the states locally and globallySocio-Cultural EmpowermentThis allows the woman to participate socially outside her family and in wider scope it provides her an opportunity to have access to wider educational options which contributes towards eradication of women's illiteracy which in turns develops her rules and achievements in the society. This is due to the socio-cultural interest in educating females and limiting the discrimination against them through limiting the traditional criteria that focus on overvaluing the males. moreover, this kind of empowerment grants the woman the freedom to use all modern means of transportation Legal Empowerment:The Woman Legal Empowerment allows her to know her legal rights and obtain the social support that helps her practice those rights, through conducting educational campaign, motivating the society to support her and actively implementing the legal rights. On larger scale, the legal empowerment encourages enacting laws that support and defend the Woman rights and reform any breaching through relaying upon the Jurisdictions Psychological Empowerment:The psychological empowerment grant the woman self-satisfaction, self-respect, and promote her self-efficiency. It also improve the social knowledge against the woman oppression. On larger scale, the psychological empowerment enhances her feeling of social integration and entitlement and obtain the social acceptance for that. Levels of Woman Empowerment:There are three levels for woman empowerment:1- Individual level: represents the Women ability to control their lives, their awareness and feeling of their values and abilities, the ability of the woman to determine her goals and work to achieve it 2- Collective level: reflects the women ability to organize themselves, team-work and their sense of their power in their unity3- The political and social environment level, the social bases and public dialog about what the woman can and can't do In the field of the Political Woman Empowerment, The 1995 Beijing Conference has requested allocating parliamentary seats for the women in the Parliaments (what is so called Quota). This project called for increasing the women representation up to at least %30 by 2005. based on that, a number of Arab Countries have taken advanced steps. The criteria used as standards to empower the woman in the global societies:Participating the woman in the general and non-women's committeesParticipating in the leadership positionsParticipating in the decision makingProviding non-traditional training opportunitiesChanging women perceptions about their ability to actively participate in working outside homesWomen confidence in their ability to participate in general works with menChanging the men perception about the ability of women to hold general positionsHolding ranks and positions not assigned for womenThe percentage of females in the administrative and professional jobsThe percentage of women in parliament The percentage of Women in the Ministries, advanced jobs and decision making centersThe percentage of women in business ownershipThe percentage of Females among the Higher Education Institutes GraduatesNumber of women with Bank AccountsThe woman sense of her economic independencyThe percentage of women participation in labor market for those of working ages Objectives of the Women Empowerment Unit at Al-Ayen University:A- The main objective is to empower the woman in her struggle with man, and that does not mean reforming the woman status or a call for overcoming the natural roles for man and woman in normal familyB- The term focused on the woman as an individual not as a nucleus of the family. The working woman is respected, whereas the housewife is looked at as retarded and out of globalized system, because she doesn't get paid and she has linked herself with husband, kids and family. C- Imposing this term in all societies can only be achieved by spreading the Gender Equity worldwide, and bypassing religion, values and believes that are ruling the lives of millions men and women. The UN reported the main obstacle for full application of woman empowerment concept is people adherent to religion, and in order to overcome this obstacle a recommendation was issued in the Beijing Conference in March 2005 to reach the people through Islamic organizations, and the future dialog will be Islamic. Meaning that Islamic Organizations will be interface through which all prospects included in global conventions will be presented but in Islamic manner so they wouldn't face rejection by religious people. We have to imagine how the family and society would be in Muslim countries if the Muslim woman used these weapons that the advocates of empowerment are trying to put in her hand to destroy her religion, and then herself and her community.The Strategy of the Unit at Al-Ayen Universityin order for the woman to have a role and be pioneer and initiative to participate in all sustainable development procedure towards achieving a better lifeOur unit at Al-Ayen University strives to enable and build the woman capabilities at the University and overcomes the challenges facing her to participate in all fields, to be an active and pioneer element in the sustainable development. This is to meet the suitable status and be an honor model to lead the women in all local, regional and global festivals through achieving a number of priorities:Building upon the achievements obtained for the woman at the University, preserving the sustainability of that achievements and proceeding with improving the woman capabilities to expand the scope of her development participation Preserving an adhesive social fabric via integrating the roles between man and woman to build a strong and tight community capable to keep pace with new amendsProviding the requirements for attracting the woman's tends and skillsPromoting the spirit of leadership and responsibility and enhancing the status of the women in regional and international festivals.Part of our Unit's strategy is to find an organizational supportive frame for the woman that complies with best exercises in the woman empowerment field. To elevate the level of the woman participation in various fields, and her percentage of representation in important positions and decision making.This is to build a strong and adhesive community capable to keep pace with the new amendments, enhancing the family bonds and insuring the continuity of integrating the social roles among its individuals to build prosperous generationThe future vision of the unit at the University:1. Preparing and organizing programs, classes, workshops and seminars about the woman and enable her in various fields2. Conducting site visits and highlighting and solving the problems facing the woman either at the state orphanages, reform or drugs addicted wards. Besides visiting the oppressed women at the districts and sub-districts 3. Collecting and distributing aids to the low income women4. Prepare and provide a plan to hold development classes to the women skills such as (sewing , hairdressing, computer and cooking)5. Connect the unit of Al-Ayen University with various Public Departments related to women affairs and actively cooperate with them
