Empowering women towards sustainable development
The issue of women’s empowerment
and gender equality is at the top of agendas across the world, as gender inequality
is widespread in all cultures. In the
Philippines, it is worth noting that the economic strength of women is
instrumental in achieving other pillars of sustainable development. The country
is on the path of development in various respects and the K-12 curriculum is
aligned on this track to empower women and achieve gender equality for the
sustainable development of the country.
Empowerment is central to the
processes of maintaining the benefits of women at the individual, household,
community, and broader society. Sustainable development is impossible without
women’s empowerment and gender equality. If gender equality is not maintained,
it will retard the country’s development because gender inequalities are
extracting high economic costs and leading to social inequities and
environmental degradation around the world.
Therefore, one can understand
from such explanations that without the equal inclusion of women in all areas
of development initiatives, all components of sustainable development cannot be
achieved. Women should be empowered and equally allowed to contribute to and
benefit from all dimensions of development so as to bring about sustainability.
Moreover, if one seeks
sustainable people-centered development within a country, there is a need to
have a fair representation of women across different levels of decision-making.
Their equal representation is indispensable to obtaining all-inclusive
decisions.
To maintain this socio-cultural
transformation of empowering women, education at school level school level is
crucial. Therefore, attitudes and perceptions developed towards women regarding
their status, role, and jobs are important to discuss in school. Therefore, one
cannot undermine the role of the teacher in particular in shaping the behavior
of children. It is the teacher, from early childhood on, up brings the children
and who have frequent face-to-face interaction with children in their school
years.
The government should initiate
measures to bring about sustainable development in the country with women
empowerment and gender equality. By all means, the government should educate
and maintain the health of women to enhance productivity and social
development. Provide them with fair representation across different
decision-making levels of the government structure to better protect women’s
interests and to achieve quality governance. Protect the rights of women to make
them active participants in the economic, social, political, cultural, and
other areas of the country, thereby bringing about development.
