Never abandon women’s empowerment and women’s economic development

By Kimya Nuru Dennis, Ph.D.

I focus on the economic development for girls and women and resources provided by organizations, communities, schools, and government offices. Economic development is based on earning money and increasing money in the savings account, checking account, investment account(s) if applicable, and the development of financial safety nets, emergency funds, and annual economic goals.

One part of economic and wealth development is the tendency for women to do unpaid labor, underpaid labor, and volunteerism. Such labor and volunteerism include women being (over)skilled and (over)generous in spaces that usually pay employees and pay consultants.

Free labor and volunteerism of women connect with human capital, social capital, and cultural capital. Human capital refers to what we know, knowledge and skills. Social capital is who we know, how we know people, and how people know us. Cultural capital references cultural identities and cultural familiarities which shape why and how people identify with us, and why and how people respond to us and interact with us. These forms of capital interlock when job skills (a type of human capital) can be important, however, some women might have difficulty in professional networks and resources (social capital) and have cultural identities that are not considered strong cultural capital.

Women can also have strong human capital and strong cultural capital while still having difficulty with social capital.

An example is when I provide an assignment in communities and in classrooms that requires people who do not know each other, or barely know each other, to go beyond merely sitting in the same space. People are asked to introduce themselves to each other, share parts of their background with each other, and discuss professional goals such as education and employment. What often happens in spaces where people do not already know each other, or barely know each other, is that many women are unaccustomed to professional networking and discussing professional skills and professional goals. This is even more common for Black women when Black women are underrepresented in spaces and more accustomed to interacting with people who are familiar. This is a gendered and racial example of sociologist Mark Granovetter “strength of weak ties” (1973, 1983). Women are more likely to have strong ties in family and friends that tends to only grant access to redundant information, a lack of new resources, and family and friends are less likely to have positions of power in the workplace. Family and friends are also more likely to protect their job and career by avoiding recruiting new employees.

There are historical and ongoing demographic and cultural gatekeeping for human capital, cultural capital, and social capital. Demographic and cultural gatekeeping can create and continue roadblocks for women. We prepare for gatekeeping and roadblock and never abandon women’s empowerment and women’s economic development.

Further, economic development for women is not limited to being an entrepreneur and owning a business. Choosing to be an entrepreneur and owning a business is an option for some women and is not the only solution for difficulties in economic development, professional networking, unemployment, under-employment, low-cost labor, and workforce changes.

In conclusion, it is important for women to consider the following: What is your financial plan? Do you have an official financial planner? Do you have a savings account? Do you have a checking account? Do you have official investment funds? Do you have emergency funds? How do you utilize tax funded financial federal resources, state resources, and city resources? How do you utilize community-created financial resources and organization-created financial resources?

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