Email: info@.arbutuscentre.org.za - Web: www.arbutuscentre.org.za
Getting rid of stereotypes
Is it so surprising that women play a key role in the success of inclusive economy projects supported by the Arbutus Centre for women? It is often assumed that women have a much keener sense of public interest whilst business acumen is more developed in men. So the question before us is
What do we do when both of these – business sense and the sense of the public interest are qualities essential to the sustainability and development of new business models? The answer perhaps lies in shedding deeply rooted stereotypes and encouraging leadership fueled by an entrepreneurial women spirit or a spirit where these seemingly opposite sensibilities converge. But our experience with projects shows that debilitating stereotypes about women’s place in the economy are everywhere.
| Email: info@.arbutuscentre.org.za - Web: www.arbutuscentre.org.za |
BY THE WOMEN FOR THE WOMEN
Women should be integrated in all phases of the
process and they can also be the ones driving the program! To engage them, a solution can be
to identify, with the help of your local partner,
the key women in the community (wives of
influential business women, etc.) and to
make them ambassadors of their own projects. They
can be your entry point into the community.
Email: info@.arbutuscentre.org.za - Web: www.arbutuscentre.org.za
As women are key for local development, women
empowerment is a lever for change that needs to
be activated. But what is the definition of women
empowerment? To give a generic definition is difficult
as it is highly dependent on women’s personal,
economic and social situation within their community.
Women’s empowerment has five components:
women’s sense of self-worth; their right to have and
to determine choices; their right to have access to
opportunities and resources; their right to have the
power to control their own lives
Both within and
outside the home; and their ability to influence the
direction of social change to create a more just social
and economic order, nationally and internationally.