Women Empowerment: The Psychological Dimension

Abstract

Women empowerment has been a major thrust of the development initiativesof the time. A great deal of time and effort has been spent on economicempowerment ignoring women as persons and the necessity fortheir psychological empowerment. Psychological empowerment is considered
in recent studies sometimes as personal empowerment built oncontrol over oneself and the situations one lives in. Women empowermentprogrammes, especially self-help groups, have been designed in developingcountries as a means for women empowerment. This articleattempts to conceptualize the idea of psychological empowerment ofwomen, through women empowerment programmes. Though psychologicalempowerment of women depends on power within, power with,power over and power to resources in living situations, it is more of apersonal one in nature. The authors attempt to sketch psychological empowermentas a construct that integrates self-esteem, self-efficacy, and selfdetermination.that is expressed in psychological well-being and happiness,
which is pivotal to psychological empowerment of women. It is manifestedin a proactive approach to life and a critical understanding of the sociopolitical
environment of women.