FROM SUPPRESSION TO EMPOWERMENT: THE TRANSFORMATIVE ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN WORKING WOMEN’S LIVES

Abstract

Empowering women is a crucial aspect of achieving gender equality and driving social change. This research examined the lived experiences of women's empowerment. In particular, the study explores female experience of making household decisions in their early years of marriage and how these processes changed after they obtained higher education and became independent in their economic activities. The theoretical background of this study is based on Resource Theory (Blood & Wolfe, 1960) and the views of Max Weber and Michel Foucault, who argue that control of resources is associated with the power to make decisions. The study used a qualitative research design based on an interpretivist, constructivist worldview in which open-ended in-depth interviews were the tool for collecting data. Fifteen women academicians working in Universities were selected through purposive sampling. Results indicate that the majority of interviewees got married shortly after obtaining their bachelor's degrees and initially had a restricted level of autonomy, economic reliance, and limited involvement in making significant family decisions. These limitations encouraged them to seek higher education as a means of empowerment. According to the participants, receiving advanced degrees allowed them not only to become more economically independent but also to change their role in the family, making them more involved in the decision-making process and contributing to their overall agency. The narratives of women reveal that higher education is a strong driver behind the emancipation of women, influencing the power structure in the household.