Empowerment

noun

/ɪmˈpaʊ.ər.mənt/

The process of gaining or granting power, authority, and agency to individuals or groups -- particularly marginalised communities -- enabling them to take control of their own lives and participate fully in social, economic, and political decision-making.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Genuine empowerment of women lies not merely in reserving legislative seats but in dismantling the structural barriers — economic dependence, social conditioning and unequal access to credit — that prevent them from exercising those rights meaningfully.

Synonyms

authorisationenablementemancipationempoweringstrengtheningenfranchisement

Antonyms

disempowermentsubjugationmarginalisationdisenfranchisement

🌱 Word Family

empower (v), empowered (adj), empowering (adj), disempower (v), disempowerment (n)

🔡 Root

Old French empouer = to give power to; em- = into; pouvoir = power; -ment = noun suffix

📜 Etymology

From Old French empouer ("to give power to") + -ment; the modern socio-political usage gained prominence in development discourse in the 1980s and 1990s.

🧠 Memory Hook

Break it down: EN + POWER + MENT — "putting POWER IN" someone so they can act for themselves. Picture handing someone a switch that turns their own power ON.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2010 — Welfare Schemes
Mains 2024 · GS1 · 10 marks — Indian Society
Mains 2023 · GS3 · 15 marks — Indian Economy
Mains 2021 · GS1 · 10 marks — Indian Society
Mains 2021 · GS2 · 15 marks — Governance

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Empowerment” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Social Justice 📖 Seen in: Gender Issues, Women Empowerment & Soc...

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