Empowerment of Women for Promoting Health and Quality of Life

Book excerpt: Empowerment of Women for Promoting Health and Quality of Life critically reviews the key theoretical and empirical foundations and policy options for Global Public Health (GPH). The author presents the lessons learned from a meta-analysis of 80 self-organized, successful women's empowerment case studies across the world that have enhanced the health and well-being of their families and communities. The information gleaned offers rare opportunities for understanding what works, how women empower themselves, and how others--professionals included--can help. Additionally, Dr. Kar designs an "EMPOWER" model for empowerment of women for GPH and human development. Using an ecological perspective, the model defines the domains, dimensions, and processes of empowerment, and is applied to a community-based women's empowerment-for-health-promotion initiative. The implications for empowerment and GPH policy, practice, and research are also discussed.