The Empowerment Process of Latina Women

RM 215

Women’s empowerment has been suggested to improve the overall health and well-being of the community in seventy-five countries (Varkey, Kureshi, and Lesnick, 2009). Additionally, empowered women experience higher levels of self-esteem and lower levels of depression and psychological violence (Grabe, 2011). Through the empowerment process, a woman experiences an intrapersonal change (Yoder, & Kahn, 1992). As a result, these women have been motivated to impact their environment and are advocates of positive change in their communities. Latina women are no exception. Despite experiencing oppression and facing many adversities, many Latina women have been resilient and have become empowered. To understand how communities can be improved, it is essential to understand the process of empowerment of Latinas. In the current study, we further explore the empowerment process of Latina women that live in the San Bernardino and surrounding areas. Latina women were interviewed using qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated from Spanish to English (if necessary) and coded using ground theory. Emergent themes in our data suggest that factors important to the empowerment of Latinas are family, social support, education, community resources, and spirituality. Additionally, in accordance with the literature, we found that as a result of their empowerment, Latinas impact their environments by becoming advocates of positive social change in their communities. These findings can be used as tools to create programs and interventions that will empower Latina women who are struggling to become empowered and ultimately can have a powerful impact in our communities.