Empowerment is much more than a word. It’s a campaign to inspire women to remove themselves from stereotypes and patriarchy. But in our attempts to give power to women, does using the term empowerment take it away?

The Oxford Dictionary defines empowerment as:

• 'authority or power given to someone to do something'.

• 'the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights.'

These definitions imply that women must be given power before they possess it. Do we need to feel stronger and more confident, or do we need to dismantle current structures geared towards men?

To explore these thoughts, CEO Thom Dennis hosted a panel discussion on 'Rejecting Empowerment'. The conversation led to multiple avenues and ideas about the term's definition.

On the positive side, it was suggested that empowerment could be powerful if understood better. If we were encouraged and supported, we could transform from the inside out and realise our own potential. Additionally, it was felt that empowerment is about understanding your value and recognising what you bring to the table.

A UCL study in 2023 found that during childhood and adolescence, men tend to overestimate their abilities more than women. Overconfident individuals are more likely to hold full-time positions in top roles, such as doctors or lawyers, than similar individuals who are less confident.

According to the researchers, this explains why men are more likely to hold full-time employment than women by age 42. When women reach their 30s and perhaps consider starting a family, the gap between men and women in top roles widens.

These types of issues are less about women needing power and more about organisations not providing working mums with adequate support. There are also different expectations in society with women often assumed to take on most childcare responsibilities.

In a podcast episode, Dean Carter, Chief People and Purpose Officer at GUILD, spoke with Thom about a childcare study. It found that providing caregiving and on-site childcare programmes in organisations can result in a 632.5% ROI. As Dean noted, some benefits such as parking spaces do not require ROI analysis, but childcare – an issue predominantly affecting women – does.

On the other side of the panel discussion on the rejection of empowerment, it was suggested that we're glamourising the term. Perhaps we spend too much time telling women they may feel like an imposter and lack confidence rather than addressing the reasons for it. A lot of attention is drawn to imposter syndrome and the lack of confidence in women, as evidenced by numerous reports.

A recent study involving 4,000 adults found that 53% of women experience feelings of self-doubt, incompetence and being underqualified. These feelings can affect women at work, with friends, in a relationship and when parenting. Of the men who took part in the study, 63% have only felt like an imposter at work while 54% have never felt it at all.

There are various structures and systems that cause this gap, and these do not come down to a lack of empowerment. Instead of believing that women leaders need empowerment in the workplace, we recommend the following:

Talk to women and ask them how they perceive the term

How we feel about empowerment is partly based on our upbringing and conditioning. Be aware that not everyone has the same experiences. One woman may have come from a family of strong, successful women while another has dealt with gender violence trauma. She might be the first woman in her family to pursue a career.

This type of sensitive dialogue is best discussed with an experienced facilitator. Thom travels globally to facilitate large off sites. He's adept at creating psychological safety to ensure everyone feels heard and respected.

Having this dialogue helps organisations understand how to create inclusive and supportive environments for women to succeed.

Don't frame it as men giving up their power

Men must participate in the conversation and champion women's equity and autonomy. Framing the issue so that men feel they are responsible and must give up power will result in resistance.

It's about collaboration and allyship. It is important to emphasise that empowering women establishes an equitable and balanced environment that benefits everyone.

Challenge your systems and processes

When a woman decides to start a family or reaches menopause, what happens? How does your company support them? Where does childcare and caregiving come in?

While it is all very well hiring more women in senior roles and looking at ways to boost their confidence, real change requires addressing systemic barriers.

Provide coaching

The future of leadership demands a whole new set of skills largely associated with feminine traits. For example, empathy, collaboration, receptivity and strong intuition. Because women are often conditioned to believe they need to behave more like men to excel, both men and women tend to lack these important skills.

We’re living in an unstable business market. The younger generation expects much more from their leaders. They want healthy organisational cultures and a strong work-life balance. At the same time, AI is rapidly increasing. The technology has many uses but also many flaws in the biases its largely male creators have seeded.

Coaching gives men and women the space to explore roadblocks and develop skills to harness their power. This is a key step to making everyone feel empowered by teaching actionable strategies and techniques to overcome personal challenges.

Serenity in Leadership provides group and 1:1 executive coaching. Your needs will determine which option to choose. Group coaching is a fantastic networking opportunity that is typically more affordable and ideal for learning from other like-minded individuals. Executive coaching is much more personalised to an individual’s needs and fits around your schedule.

Book a complimentary discovery call with CEO Thom Dennis to discuss how our coaching works and if we believe you are an ideal candidate. To ensure high quality, we only take on a select few individuals for coaching each quarter.