The commodification of female empowerment

posted by Women's Media Nation
Monday, September 27, 2010 at 10:53am CDT

Have daughters supplanted sons as the repository of hope in tough economic times?

New York Times contributor Peggy Orenstein has noticed a trend across a whole range of sectors over the last several months from big-box stores to high-end fashion to wireless-phone services to politics: all have discovered the sales potential in female pride.

It’s well established that three women now receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees for every two men, but in 2009, for the first time, they earned more doctorates as well. Meanwhile, three-quarters of the jobs lost in the current recession were held by men (who were more likely to be in hard-hit industries and let's face it were probably taking home more money than their female counterparts). Women have not only become (again for the first time) the majority of the work force, but they also hold the lioness’s share of managerial jobs and are the primary breadwinners in more than a quarter of dual-income families.

Meryl Streep, in her 2010 commencement speech to Barnard, reminded the graduates that "Around the world, poor women now own property who used to be property and according to Economist magazine, for the last two decades, the increase of female employment in the rich world has been the main driving force of growth."

So the question is...can buying a product or service strike a blow against gender inequality? Check out the article - The Empowerment Mystique and tell us what you think.