That California Girl

Happy Women’s History Month! We know that March is a special time to spotlight and observe women’s contributions to historical events and today’s society; however, it’s just as important to celebrate and support women every day of the year. 

“Women’s empowerment” is more than just a buzzword

What does it mean to empower women? With social media enabling emotionally-driven content and saturated with catchy influencer video challenges, sometimes the true message of empowering women gets lost in trends and fads. Like all causes we care about, it’s important to show up and engage in the topics that resonate with us daily, not only when the next big boom or critical event occurs. So what is (women’s) empowerment? In its most simplified form, it means an individual’s right to have power, control, and choice over their own lives.

To enrich the process with different layers of perspective, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) defines women’s empowerment as a process with five components:

1. Sense of self-worth
2. Their right to have and to determine choices
3. Their right to have access to opportunities and resources
4. Their right to have the power to control their own lives, both within and outside the home
5. Their ability to influence the direction of social change to create a more just social and economic order, both nationally and internationally

The United Nations Global Compact takes the process of women’s empowerment a step further to activate the cause by defining seven principles within the business space and workplace:

• Principle 1: Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality
• Principle 2: Treat all women and men fairly at work; respect and support human rights and nondiscrimination
• Principle 3: Ensure the health, safety, and well-being of all women and men workers
• Principle 4: Promote education, training, and professional development for women
• Principle 5: Implement enterprise development, supply chain, and marketing practices that empower women
• Principle 6: Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy
• Principle 7: Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality

Make it a habit: five easy ways to empower women

Globally, we have a long road ahead with many projects, activities, mindsets, and policies to change in terms of truly reaching equality for women. However, it’s important to remember that no matter how big or small, we can easily contribute to the cause as individuals by showing up and engaging with our fellow lady friends, colleagues, peers, and communities with some mindful as well as intentional habits to seamlessly incorporate into our daily lives!

1. Listen and engage!

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” – Epictetus

As simple as it sounds, this habit is one of the most effective ways to empower one another. Some of us just need to be heard, clear our consciousness, or just vent for a minute (or two!). When it comes to listening, truly engage and actively participate in your conversations. Build a safe space for your peers to share their thoughts or whatever they’re going through and be present. If a woman in your life opens up about a recent mistake she made, cut her some slack. Give her grace and resist judgment, as she’s already vulnerable. You can even take these conversations as an opportunity to learn from the women around you and see different perspectives.

Habit to incorporate: invite her to share what she’s been up to and encourage her to really open up before you take your turn to talk about yourself when catching up with your lady friend. Be present while listening by avoiding distractions like checking your phone and making non-verbal communication obvious: eye contact, occasional head nods, and calm body language. Try open and engaging questions like, “How’s xx been? How are you feeling lately? How can I support you?”

2. Share

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Lao Tzu

My high school literature teacher once shared one of my favorite proverbs, which has since resonated with me to this day. Short-term help is always appreciated; however, sharing our knowledge and experiences and offering any educational resources are long-term ways to make an impact by helping our peers. Don’t be shy about generously giving, whether it’s connecting women with others professionally, sharing your favorite books, or sharing your life lessons. Feel free to also share and be vulnerable with the women in your life to build more trust, safety, and connection. The power of words can really make an impact.

Habits to incorporate: complement the listening habit; participate in the conversation by connecting the topic to your own relatable experiences of how you’ve overcome something; or even just resources you think are relevant to your discussion. We sometimes forget that it’s totally okay to give and share our best practices in life. Sharing something as little as a website link, a personal anecdote, a favorite author, or a professional connection can go a long way toward empowering women. Remember not to pass unsolicited advice or judgment when sharing your thoughts or learnings.

3. Spotlight

“Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” Serena Williams

Did you recently see something your friend did that you admired? Let her know! Have you come across a local, woman-owned business that gave you a great customer experience? Leave some feedback or write an online review! Did you attend a lecture or panel full of professional women who shared insightful and helpful career tips and learnings? Share their work on LinkedIn! Are there marginalized groups that need support to be seen? Raise your voice (and theirs)! If a woman in your life—be it a friend, a relative, a peer, or a stranger you admire—did something that resonated well with you, compelled you to make a positive change in your life, or just made you feel good, don’t be shy to praise her! Call her directly to acknowledge her, or better yet, congratulate her on her latest milestone in life the next time you meet up. You can even give affirmation by simply liking a post, commenting on it, or even sharing it with others via your own platform and voice. There’s so much room for all of us women to shine, so let’s spotlight and celebrate, as well as raise visibility for the women who inspire us and give them some well-deserved credit.

Habit to incorporate: as Hilarie Burton Morgan wrote in her novel, Grimoire Girl, find your muse (or two). Identify three to five women who inspire the different values of your life and let them know. For instance, who’s your activist muse? Your professional muse? Your lifestyle muse? Your creative muse? Each time you naturally think about something you admire about a friend, relative, or colleague, immediately reach out and let her know. Or, if you’re with someone in person and they did something in real-time that resonated with you, don’t hesitate to let her know your affirmative and positive thoughts. Don’t be shy about being a cheerleader for the ladies in your life!

4. Collaborate

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller

We as humans seemingly have an innate competitiveness about us, let alone the often pitting women against each other, regardless of our personal or professional vantage points. We need to unlearn this. Find an opportunity to collaborate with or learn from the women in your life instead of comparing and competing. This is the literal best way to uplift and build each other up rather than bring each other down. If seeing another woman’s success or recent milestone in life leads you to feel jealous, FOMO, or even worried about where you are in your own life, ask yourself this: Why does seeing so and so’s success make me feel this way? Am I missing something in life to achieve what I want? If yes, what resources do I need to get there? How can I get there? What work and changes do I need to put in to take a step forward? What habits do I need to adapt to or drop? Who can support and help me? When you start gaining self-awareness of what really triggers you, you’ll soon find the confidence you need to surround yourself with women who feel empowered to truly take control of the decisions made in their lives, which will hopefully inspire you to do the same.

Habit to incorporate: adding to your circle of muses in Habit #3, try to lend a hand of support to help whenever or wherever you can. Keep an eye out for opportunities to collaborate with these women in your life around the things that are most important to you. For instance, participate in demos around women’s rights with your activist muse or peers. Opt for a mentorship relationship with women professionals you admire, or try to work with open communication and set mutual expectations when working with a colleague in a professional setting to prevent friction. Empower your peers by offering to mentor or conduct mock interviews when they’re job searching. You can even give feedback on their work, such as presentations, articles, and more. With your friends, apply collaboration by trying creative workshops together based on your common interests to build skills while bonding. You can even collaborate by organizing family events or shared get togethers with your friends and creating memorable parties together.

5. Be consistent

“I think the greatest thing that we can do is take care of each other.” Sophia Bush

With everything mentioned above, the biggest takeaway in how to successfully build seamless habits to empower women is to be consistent. We aren’t perfect and may forget at times, but as long as we try our best to come back to center on why it’s important to empower one another, everything will naturally fall into place. Show up and advocate for support for all the women in your life.

Habit to incorporate: check in periodically with your circle of women, whether it’s via “Hey, I’m thinking of you” texts, a weekly phone call asking how she’s doing, or even a routine hangout. Consistently and mindfully try to listen more to the women in your life, share your knowledge, praise her, and open a door for collaboration.

Consider these low-effort yet highly impactful habits to organically empower the women in your life every day.