Guest Post: The Symmetry of Women Empowerment

By Nurnazida Nazri

ziedanazri@gmail.com

More often than not, we see women organizations claiming equal rights and demanding to be treated alike as men. However, is it true that women and men are born to be equal and have coincident strengths?

Maybe it is time to discuss this subject, whether women, by claiming for self-determination is also asking to be treated equally as men? Or maybe what they are claiming so far is just to be given a degree of autonomy in areas that are supposed to be their subject?

What do women want?

When a woman claims that she be given her rights as had been accorded to a man, it is not a way of saying that she wants equal rights. A woman can never be equal to a man especially in terms of strength and energy bestowed upon them by Allah SWT. However, this not to say that women are weak or not at all strong.

We have to admit that women generally are tough and designed to be durable in enduring complicated obstacles. Our mothers are the best archetype to prove this concrete theory. Women can survive taking care of the family and simultaneously working in order to help the financial burden of the household.

Allah SWT had created all His creatures with special attributes. Nothing is worthless. “He has created you (all) out of one living entity, and out of it fashioned its mate; and he has bestowed upon you four kinds of cattle of either sex; (and) He creates you in your mother’s wombs, one act of creation after another, in threefold depths of darkness.” (Surah Az – Zumar, 39:5-6).

We are all here in this universe, in this timeline, to serve a purpose, if not, purposes. That means each and every one of us has responsibilities attached to us and Allah SWT will clearly take note of how we discharge our duties here. Nobody is a cut above the other.

Men and women, and their purposes in life

Even though women and men are created differently and are meant to serve dissimilar purposes, in the end, both are destined to be the servants of Allah SWT. Women can never be equal to men.

Nevertheless, that could not be a stopping point for women to empower themselves and be a decision maker in areas pertinent to their own self-development and well-being.

In this millennial world, women are now trusted to make important decisions that can alter the altitude of huge organizations all around the world. They are put in the positions of being superiors to men at the workplace. That being said, it is similarly imperative that women are acknowledged for their self-empowerment and for their capabilities.

Education and women empowerment

The right to education is guaranteed in all human rights documents, internationally and locally. Education does play a big role for self-empowerment, regardless of your gender, race and locality. 

This is also the infamous tagline of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist for female education. One cannot deny that having an education would definitely alleviate your social status and earn you much respect in the society.

Thus, in order for women to be empowered just like men, as they had claimed continuously, it is extremely important for them to pursue their education to the highest level. In managerial positions, education is highlighted more than gender.

Self-reliance and women empowerment

Many of the wives choose to work so that they could help to lessen the financial burden of the family. This is, of course, a wise decision to make if you feel that you can handle both subjects well at the same time.

On a different note, this can also be a lifesaver if things took the wrong turn in the future. Everybody wants and deserves a happily married life but we can only plan, Allah SWT is always the best planner.

Having a job can help you in maintaining the family should your once better half, decided not to take part in managing the children. It is not uncommon to hear this kind of stories. Yet, in most cases, the women are left with nothing and are clueless on how to face the future. Self-reliance is a must even if you have a loving and caring husband. If something happens, who is there to trust and rely on, be it not yourself?

Equal rights and women empowerment

It is to be noted again at this point that women empowerment has nothing to do with wanting equal rights as men. Even though the women can do and has also proven to do most things that the men did.

What they need is having rights that are supposed to be rightly accorded to them as women. The best example would be having the right to education. It is a justifiable right of all women.

Do not deny the women from claiming this right as it is theirs from the very beginning. Women are not subservient to anybody and that is why it is essential to instil self-empowerment and self-determination in all women around the world.

Women empowerment should never be confused with claiming equal rights as men. The word empowerment itself suggests that it is for personal development and not a competition with others.

Women ought to have this empowerment as a way to pick up themselves in every situation, good or bad. The world would be a better place if they are given the rights as they should have been given from the start, without anybody turning this whole thing into possessive equal rights claiming.

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