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Women's Empowerment: What Works and Why?

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  • Andrea Cornwall

Abstract

Revisiting foundational feminist work on the concept of empowerment from the 1980s and 1990s, this paper draws on the findings of a multi-country research programme, 'Pathways of Women's Empowerment', to explore pathways of positive change in women's lives, in diverse contexts, and to draw together some lessons for policy and practice. It begins with an account of women's empowerment in development, tracing some key ideas that have shaped feminist engagement with empowerment in theory and practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Cornwall, 2014. "Women's Empowerment: What Works and Why?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-104, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2014-104
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2014-104.pdf
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