Journal of Urban Studies on Space and Place

Compiliation Of The Conceptual Framework Of Women’s Empowerment Feasibility In Urban Spaces

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Pasand Mahdavi Saeidi 1
Mostafa Behzadfar 2
Mohammad Masood 3
Seyedmohammad Rashtiyan 4

1 Ph.D Candidate of Urban Planning, Architecture and Urban Planning Faculty, Isfahan (Khorasgan), Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Urbanization, Architecture and Urbanization faculty, Science and Technology University of Iran, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

4 Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Isfahan (Khorasgan), Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/jspr.2024.2045395.1085
Abstract
Introduction
Empowerment in women's development is a way to define challenge and overcome the obstacles in their lives,  Through which they increase their ability to shape their lives. The empowerment process can not only improve their skills and access to productive resources, but will also be successful in improving the quality, status and place of work in society. women's empowerment creates a powerful influence on the norms, values and ultimately the laws that govern these societies. In this regard, the aim of this study is to integrate and synthesize the results of studies on the  feasibility of urban women empowerment.
Theoretical framework
The idea of ​​empowerment is often linked to the concept of power relations, which specifically refers to gaining more or less power among actors.However, women's empowerment differs from the empowerment of other disadvantaged groups due to intra-household dynamics.
Women's empowerment and gender equality are often considered two sides of the same coin: progress towards gender equality requires women's empowerment, while women's empowerment helps to increase gender equality. In the case of gender inequality or discrimination, it is generally believed that women are disadvantaged or excluded in terms of decision-making and access to economic and social resources.
All definitions of women's empowerment refer to women's ability in certain areas, particularly in controlling their lives, having freedom to make decisions, and having input into changing life choices. Women's empowerment is usually combined with the position that women hold, which is often demonstrated by their acquisition and control of resources, which include not only material and financial resources, but also social and human resources; Resources that can enhance women's ability to exercise their choices. Examples of these resources include age, education, employment, social capital, networks, and asset ownership. Women's empowerment is a multidimensional concept, and women who are powerful and empowered in one dimension are not necessarily powerful in another. It has also been proven that women need resources and a sense of agency to achieve their life outcomes. The multidimensional concept of agency encompasses various domains, including decision-making authority, control over finances, and freedom of movement. Having decision-making authority and excessive use of money is a more accurate and accurate description of women's power.
Methodology
The present research is based on a qualitative approach and in terms of the purpose of a applied research. In this study, a systematic review of 43 studies in the period from 2007 to 2024 was conducted using the meta-synthesis method.  The statistical population consisted of books, articles, theses, dissertations, and scientific documents related to the  urban women, empowerment ,and the research resources were selected by convenience sampling.
Result and discussion
The results indicate that the empowerment of urban women depends on the realization of 24 sub-categories and 166 codes. Based on the results of integrating research data in the meta-synthesis process, the main development discourse category accounted for 33.73 percent of the total extracted codes. The category of the type of knowledge required for development accounted for 32.54 percent, the category of empowerment stages accounted for 6.03 percent, the category of capacity building accounted for 18.67 percent, and the category of institution building accounted for 9.03 percent of the total extracted codes. Therefore, the majority of extracted codes belong to the main development discourse category. The Kappa-Cohen coefficient of the present study is equal to 0.774 with a significance of 0.000, which indicates a valid agreement and the appropriateness of reliability (higher than 0.6). 
Conclusion
The present study, by combining and synthesizing the results of previous studies, has been able to present a model of the conceptual framework of women's empowerment and has provided the ground for its application in urban places.

Keywords

Empowerment
Women’s empowerment
Agency
Mainstream
Urban Space
Meta-synthesis

Subjects

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