OTD News Volume VII, Issue 2

3 Community Presentation “Continued” By: Mirtha Whaley, Ph.D., OTR/L “Empowering Women Around the World” Women’s earnings are associated with sustainability, as they use their earnings to purchase goods and invest in their communities, and thus have an impact on community development (United States Agency for International Development, 2015). Estimates of the effect of women’s participation in formal labor markets indi- cate the gross domestic product (GDP) would increase by as much as 26% if women could achieve parity (The Clinton Foundation, n.d; United States Agen- cy for International Development, 2015). Education allows young women to postpone marriage, have smaller families, en- sure their children also receive an education, experience improvements in health and living conditions, and decrease their risk of HIV infection (Chaudhary, Chani, & Pervaiz, 2012; McCleary-Sills, Douglas, Rwehumbiza, Hamisi, Mabala, 2011). There are several modifiable factors that can serve as entry points to empower- ing women worldwide (Chaudhary, Chani, & Pervaiz, 2012). Education Improved nutrition Access to and improved health care in general, but very importantly, access to maternal care Opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship Opportunities for political engagement Ultimately, empowering women and achieving gender equality is not just about social and occupational justice. Empowerment helps women create stable homes, promotes sustainable development of cities and communities, and facili- tates economic stability (Chaudhary, Chani, & Pervaiz, 2012). Page 9 OTD News, Volume VII, Issue 2