Economic empowerment of women as a global project: Economic rights in the neo-liberal era

During the past two decades we have witnessed a proliferation of projects geared to the empowerment of women. Though heterogeneous in their scope and techniques, “women empowerment” projects have become shorthand for social undertakings that seek to overcome structural and individual barriers that prevent women from becoming self-reliant and viable economic actors. Typically, “empowerment” initiatives promote a wide range of income-generating activities based on the belief that enhancing women’s spirit of entrepreneurship is a precondition for their social and political emancipation.