Based on a research that was carried out between 2006 and 2017 in agricultural communities in Syria, Kenya and Tanzania, the study’s findings suggest that the four definitions of empowerment, despite their richness and range, fail to capture something important in the way empowerment is experienced by women.
Galiè and Farnworth argue that the concept of ‘power through’ captures ‘an involuntary aspect of empowerment and dis-empowerment: that of individual power won, and lost, through changes in the empowerment status of others, or through relating to others’.
This research explores the empirical evidence that prompted the development of the concept and discusses its conceptual and methodological implications. Although the concept is based on a limited set of findings, the authors aim to stimulate further discussions on an aspect of empowerment – that of its relational and non-agentic nature – that needs further scrutiny.
Authors:A. Galièa and C.R. Farnworth (PhD)
Source: Global Food Security
