Empowering Women Through Meaningful Work

Empowering Women Through Meaningful Work

In a well attended side event co-sponsored by the European Bahá'í Business Forum (EBBF), the Bahá'í International Community, and UNIFEM-UK, NGO delegates to the 52^nd Commission on the Status of Women crowded into the 10^th floor auditorium of the Church Center for the United Nations to discuss “Empowering Women through Meaningful Work.” 

Saskia Law, a human rights educator and a member of the Bahá'í delegation to the CSW, presented the concept of work on two levels: the physical necessity of getting money for food, shelter, and basic survival; and the social, which includes the need to connect with people, to do something of value to attain self-realization. “There is a growing body of evidence that women work not only for themselves but in the interest of their family and the community,” she said.

Gemma Adaba of the International Trade Union Federation said that 45% of the 168 million workers worldwide are women. There is a great lack of opportunity for women in the developing world, she said, and women are in many cases are head of household and the economic decision-makers for their families.  Because women make up such a large percentage of the work force, it makes economic sense for multinational corporations to invest in them. “The problem with capitalism is, they haven’t figured out a way not to be greedy,” she said.

Nalina Jiwnani of the Bahá'í Office for the Advancement in India, presented some of India’s best practices towards providing opportunities to women in the workplace.  The government of India decided that every ministry and department should set a gender budget, she said.  So far, 54 departments have done this.

Susan Meyer, a life coach who conducts workshops on personal and professional growth for women, spoke about her experience working with disenfranchised women who were trying to return to the workforce.  These women lacked a voice – low self-esteem and no marketable skills, she said.  But they did have skills, Dr. Meyer said.  Quoting a former female head of Ford Motors, she said, “If you can handle the last gumdrop between a 3 and a 5 year old, you can handle any negotiation.”  She noted that women are strong in such “human skills” and often their experience as mothers and housekeepers have given them experience managing budgets and scheduling and problem solving that just need to be “repackaged” so that they are applicable on a resume.