Empowerment Gone Bad

Weidenstedt, Linda

doi:10.1177/2378023116672869

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 77 publications

(78 reference statements)

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“…During our focus group discussions, they were not comfortable discussing when the employers were available, an indication that potential issues exist between the employers and them as workers. These reaffirm various studies which uncovered the power differentials emanating from the power differences between the empowerees and the agencies (Weidenstedt, 2016;Eerdewijk et al, 2017;Riger, 1993), this even got worst because the agents are business entities who are working to earn profits.…”

Section: Lack Of Influencementioning

confidence: 52%

“…The aim of empowerment is to improve peoples' life through power transfer resources, this transfer of power resources may be through education, health services or housing but may also be through the sense of social-psychological changes in terms of identity and support; inspiring work environments, or recognition of identities, character traits, performances, and achievements. Generally, transferring power resources will provide the receiver with more agential options, leading to a greater sense of control and self-efficacy (Weidenstedt, 2016;Hamed, 2010;Marcus and Page 2016;Ukil, 2016;Ke and Zhang, 2010). However, the concept of emancipation stretches into development aid fields, health care, nursing, mentoring, employees' performance and management.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the concept of emancipation stretches into development aid fields, health care, nursing, mentoring, employees' performance and management. Weidenstedt (2016), sees empowerment taking on two dimensions; empowerment as a life/performance enhancement often found in work places where one party attempts to empower someone else, and contrary to this is empowerment as a grassroot/social movement often done through self-empowerment which takes the bottom-up approach. The empowerment methodology aimed by COAST Trust's project is the top-down design where the agency attempted to empower the adolescent girls by collaborating with grassroot entrepreneurs.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Weidenstedt (2016), Power differentials between the empowerees and the agency is visible as empowerees have nothing and the agent who wants to empower has some resources. This power differentials can affect the very essence of empowerment program because empowerees may not be able to say their views.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, impoverishment means disempowerment which is the contrast of empowerment. Campaigns aiming at promoting empowerment in social contexts usually focus on the redistribution of power, empowerment as "a quantifiable increase in the amount of power possessed by an individual or a group" (Weidenstedt, 2016). Such "power" can be gained by an increase of, for instance, rights, knowledge, money, or goods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

When Empowerment Leads to Impoverishment: A Case of Sanimart Project in Bhola District, Bangladesh

Mabor¹

2019

TIJMG

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This study was conducted in Bhola district of Barisal Division in Bangladesh. The purpose of the study was to conduct a careful analysis of the plights of working adolescents who are also attending schools, to find out whether UNICEF project being implemented by COAST Trust is actually leading to the intended objective of adolescent empowerment. I organized focus group discussions reaching a total of 60 adolescents. Educational pass records of a total of 120 students were reviewed and compared to ascertain whether the work of the children has potential correlations with their pass grades.I conclude that the empowerment project has instead caused disempowerment of the adolescent girls because of a number of reasons; long working hours are so detrimental for the girls given that the girls have to attend school and after schools proceed to work for additional 4 hours, and perhaps perform other domestic works in their households, the remuneration of girls is very low but being so helpless, they cannot complaint about the unfair wages for which they work daily, the speak up culture which is so much required in empowerment situation is not available in the work places of the girls, the girls leave their work places at night which could expose them to other sexual harassment scenarios in a very conservative environment, the working environment could endanger the health of the young girls since they are dealing with cotton materials which may lead to respiratory related diseases, and finally, the extra work time has to a larger extent led to the low pass grades of the girls in schools.Certain measures could be taken to avert or reduce the impact of working adolescents such as: girls who are below the minimum required age for work can appoint their parents or representatives to work on their behalf while close scrutiny is maintained to ensure the girls benefit from the proceeds of their work. The entrepreneurs can be compelled by Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA) to ensure they pay necessary minimum wage that is commensurate with the work of the adolescent girls. Finally, the employers must be compelled to reduce the number of working hours to ensure the girls can reach their houses before dark as well as by allowing them a day off in a week.

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Section: Lack Of Influencementioning

confidence: 52%