Women’s Empowerment and Health: A Narrative Review

Empowerment, the process by which a person is enabled to increase control over decisions concerning their life, is a multidimensional construct that has been extensively discussed by various disciplines for more than four decades. Several empowerment models have been presented, based on different approaches. This paper proposes a four-step model, based on individual and contextual awareness and advancement. Disparate factors may positively or negatively affect empowerment, including gender, race, culture, education, financial autonomy, socioeconomic status, family, neighborhood, religion, social cohesion, civic society, and political context. Empowerment has been extensively discussed in parallel with health promotion, since it is expected to positively affect health, both on the level of the individual and community, as well as in the context of the patient–healthcare professional relationship. Considering the position of women in patriarchal societies, where women may experience feelings of powerlessness, their social position and more importantly health may be adversely affected. Gender biases that were developed due to the marginalized position of women in different societies, coupled with paternalistic approaches of healthcare professionals, may significantly contribute to higher comorbidity, albeit longer life expectancy for women. Empowerment can therefore be a powerful tool for achieving equity in health and improving women’s well-being.