It’s time to remove the Hype around empowering Women and get Real!
Yet another Women’s event or conference has happened and yet another article or interview has been published with the list of all A lister women achievers and how we could emulate them or be like them!
Do all of these really signify the empowerment of Women? If not! then what is it that Empowers Women…
Are only the women who make the headlines real achievers? If not! who are the real role models.
Real empowerment comes from acceptance! Acceptance that Women are no different from men! Women are equally capable, equally creative, equally hardworking and equally important. For that matter we also have the same shortcomings which any human being would have! But where is the gap? The gap is in our thinking, our mental conditioning and up-bringing and our own prejudices and bias! How can we bridge this? At home as parents, at school as teachers, at work as managers we need to accept this and provide equal opportunities to women. We need to free women from the imaginary mental shackles that are created as-to why they should be thinking this way or behaving this way or working this way. We should provide every Woman an opportunity to live a life which she wishes to lead and work she wishes to perform and achieve her best!.
Real empowerment comes from the “BIG Gentle Nudges”. The Gentle Nudge a father gives to his daughter to DREAM BIG. The Gentle Nudge , a mother gives to her son to BREAK age-old notions and SHARE RESPONSIBILITIES. The Gentle Nudge, a husband gives to his wife by RESPECTING HER FOR WHAT SHE IS. The Gentle Nudge a Manager gives to his/her women colleague by TRUSTING HER for the next important Job! The Gentle Nudge a co-worker gives by WILLING to HELP her when she is trying managing the delicate balance between work and family. These Gentle Nudges have a subtle but long-lasting effect. These Gentle Nudges need to be embedded as part of life, as part of work culture, as part of family! That is when we will see women really empowered!
Real empowerment comes from “ROLE MODELS”. Role models need not necessarily be the 2%-3% of Women who have made it big in corporate, entertainment , sports or government. We are talking about “REAL-LIFE ROLE MODELS” seeing whom, young women can get inspired, speaking to whom we can learn , from whose real-life experiences they can make an impact to the multiple young women around them by daring them to dream BIG! I am one such Role Model, are you? I continuously talk to the Young women in my team/my organization/my community motivating them, counselling them, giving them that GENTLE NUDGE! Sometimes just by giving them AN EAR, most of the times GIVING THEM opportunities or GUIDING THEM and RARING them to DREAM BIG! Yes, that can make a BIG DIFFERENCE and I am sure they will go and make a difference to many more Young women.
Real empowerment is not about Hype! It is about Truth and Reality. It is about touching and feeling the empowerment within the micro-happenings of our life, organization or family. It is that under-current which is lying below the hyped surface which really creates STARS out of the WOMEN and the Role Models! It is about creating that “FLYWHEEL” which keeps spinning and keeps creating empowering stories and an empowered society.