Women’s Empowerment and Modern Media: How it Works?

The media play an increasingly important role in the dissemination of information in today's world. Whether at home or at work, daily activities entail the use of media for fun and pleasure, education, or a number of other purposes. People, particularly women, can be empowered by the media.People can be affected by the media in a variety of ways. These could be short-term or long-term.Five categories of media effects are listed by Potter (2005). The following fall under this category: cognitive, attitudinal, emotional, physiological, and behavioral.

Women’s empowerment
It is a process that enables women to develop self-control, independence, and confidence in the face of a patriarchal culture. The major tools for empowering women are independence from others and economic freedom. Some fundamental barriers to women's empowerment include lack of confidence, inferiority complex, limited options, and all sorts of deprivation. Women's empowerment is therefore a change in a woman's life that increases her potential to live a full human life (Tamuli and Mishra,2022).Most current definitions of empowerment in the development literature draw upon Amartya Sen’s articulation of “Development as Freedom” (1999) where development is about expanding people’s choices.

Status in the EU

Women's empowerment is not just a catchphrase; it is a must for a family's, society's, nation's, and the world's best chance of overall progress (Sen and Batliwala 2000).Half of the world's population is composed of women and girls, which means that half of its potential is also represented by them. The empowerment of women increases economic growth and productivity, according to extensive research.However, there’s still a lot to be done to get the balance right.Women still earn 20% less than men globally and remain disproportionately affected by poverty, lower education and discrimination in employment.Another inequality in the labour market is the underrepresentation of women in the ever-growing IT sector. In the next few years, positions will increasingly require digital skills. If the gap is not addressed, women's talent, innovation, and entrepreneurship will be lost, which will expand the gender gap.

The EU promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment across the globe, both in international fora and through external actions. On the international level, the EU mainly cooperates with 

• the UN.
• the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
• the G20 and the G7.
• NATO.
• the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
• the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• the Organisation of American States (OAS).
• the African Union (AU).
• the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
• the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

The EU adopted its new strategic approach to women, peace and security in December 2018.

The Commission is monitoring the implementation of the Gender Action Plan II (GAP II). It focuses on gender mainstreaming – making sure that gender equality is present in all policies.  As a result, progress is being made on the EU’s objectives of

• • stopping violence against women and girls.
  • improving their socioeconomic rights.
  • increasing their participation in decision-making processes at all levels.

Role of Media in Empowering Women

The media is a reflection of society, reflecting its events.People who have access to social media and the Internet are more aware of their social, political, and economic environments than people who don't.A huge audience may be reached by the media by using mass communication, making it the most significant social tool in modern society. The social and economic development of any society depends heavily on the empowerment of women. Any human generation's creators, teachers, and developers are these people.In most societies, women still have limited access to, knowledge of, and power over the many types of both traditional and modern media. In a way, women are empowered by the rise in their participation in and access to self-expression and decision-making through the media and new communication technology. It is important to promote and continue to research the strong and beneficial role that the media can play in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Media: A Bridge to Close the Gap

Women empowerment cannot be achieved unless we all stand together. Media intervention can lead to an impactful change in the society by representing the women participation in leadership and decisions making roles and urging the society to intensify their efforts against the discrimination and violence women faces.Through media platforms, a relevant message about empowerment can be spread, emphasizing the need of imparting skills and education to help people become the leaders and innovators they were born to be. Additionally, it conveys the strong idea that new technology and innovation may be used to integrate and improve upon their needs and experiences.

Media: An Impactful Player:

The media can help by influencing societal attitudes toward women through a variety of mediums, with the help of women's associations, organizations, and the government, by disseminating policies and initiatives that can help women feel confident and inspire them to stand up and fight for their rights to live honorable lives. Women are now able to walk down the path of advancement thanks to a shift in cultural attitudes as well as the expansion of the economy, which has enabled them to reach respectable and important positions.

References;

• Tamuli, P., & Mishra, K. (2022). Media Literacy and Women Empowerment: An Evidence from India. Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities, 2(4), 128-133.

• Narayana, A., & Ahamad, T. (2016). Role of media in accelerating women empowerment. Int. J. Adv. Educ. Res, 1, 16-19.

• Role and Impact of Media on Society (pp.60-68).Publisher: Unistar Publishing House,2019

• https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/gender-equality/promoting-gender-equality-womens-rights-beyond-eu_en