Do empowered women have better relationships? The answer is yes, but why? A sense of personal agency and self-confidence can get you far in life. Women who are empowered are more likely to surround themselves with healthy, happy relationships and people.
Empowerment is a complex topic and isn’t something you’re born with. Empowerment, much like self-confidence, is something that you build within yourself over time. To foster healthy relationships, you must understand why empowered women have better relationships.
What is Empowerment?
According to Oxford Dictionaries, empowerment is “The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights.”
Empowerment isn’t the destination. It’s the process.
It’s a personalized set of daily routines, actions, and belief structures that define who you are.
In a piece written by Keshab Chandra Mandal in the International Forum of Teaching and Studies, there are five types of empowerment:
- Social - Strengthening your social connections and structures to give you additional purpose outside your home life.
- Educational - Access to education and belief in your knowledge.
- Economical - You have control over your financial, material, and personal resources.
- Political - Feeling as if your voice is heard in important decision-making processes both on a governmental and familial level.
- Psychological - When you can let go of societal expectations based on income, gender, and body and recognize your self-worth.
You do not have to feel equally empowered in all of these areas. It may help you to build your empowerment hierarchy.
To do this, first, draw a pyramid with five levels.
At the base, write which type of personal empowerment feels most significant to you. Then, with each successive layer, add the next most important one. That is your empowerment hierarchy.
Feeling empowered in any of these arenas can help you improve your relationships.
Why Empowered Women Have Better Relationships
Empowered women cultivate and surround themselves with better relationships.
Most commonly, empowered women are confident and can articulate their needs and desires to others. This openness in communication means they establish better relationships with healthy boundaries. Setting these boundaries is a way of protecting your self-worth.
Self-worth means you trust yourself and feel confident in your opinions, thoughts, and overall worth.
This sense of self-worth gives you the confidence to value yourself and prioritize your needs.
Relationships are all about give and take. The foundation of a healthy relationship is a sense of trust and balance. Empowered women can take up the metaphoric and literal space they deserve.
If you want to improve your relationships, it’s time for you to become more empowered.
Why is Personal Empowerment Important?
When you feel empowered, you sit in the driver’s seat of your life. Not only are you driving towards your goals, but you feel confident doing so.
When you live in your empowerment, you set meaningful goals to achieve what you want out of life. Each step you take helps you achieve those goals and creates a more significant impact on the world.
Empowered women are often described as able to “light up a room.” You are a magnet to others when you walk with that level of confidence and poise. You are self-reliant and have a wealth of knowledge that others want to share.
For those who may lack a sense of personal empowerment, you may get caught in cycles of unhealthy relationships. A diminished sense of self-worth means you may struggle to set and vocalize your boundaries in relationships. Empowerment doesn’t mean you deserve safety. Everyone does. However, it can give you the strength to remove toxic people from your life.
How to Become Empowered
Empowerment is a process, not a result. It comes from belief in one’s self and taking active action. That means you’re actively taking big and small steps toward your ultimate goal. You work towards building your empowered identity.
If you want to become empowered and have better relationships, follow these simple steps:
- Look at the five types of empowerment listed above, and choose one area you want to focus on. Start by selecting the easiest one for you.
- List all the ways you do not feel empowered in that space. For example, if you chose educational empowerment, you may write, “I didn’t get a college education.” Put down at least three reasons you feel disempowered in that space.
- Look at your list of why you feel disempowered. Now, change those into active action statements. So, if you didn’t get a college education, you could write, “I’m going to sign up for one online college class this month.” Follow the SMART model for goal setting. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
- Once you’ve changed your statements into actionable goals, chart how and when you will complete each. Put each objective on your calendar and get to work!
It’s critical that you focus on one type of empowerment at a time. Choosing the path of least resistance can help build the self-confidence you need to feel empowered faster.
Once you feel empowered in one space, you can move on to the next!
Empowerment is something that is maintained through sustained action. So take tiny steps towards your goals each day.
The Easiest Way to Start Feeling Empowered
Most women identify social empowerment as their first step. Building friendships and social ties with others can help you improve your self-worth and personal power. However, many women struggle to make new friends and connections.
Putting yourself out there can feel overwhelming.
If you want to connect with people, all you need to do is look online! Jaumo is a free resource for you to start finding and building friendships.
Self-confidence and self-worth are the main reasons why empowered women have better relationships. Remember that building a sense of empowerment is a process. It takes time, dedication, and putting yourself first. But on the other side of that effort is a massive payoff. One that will help you maintain healthier relationships for the rest of your life.