Empowerment: A Qualitative Comparison of Definitions between Sexes

Abstract

The definition of empowerment is a widely studied topic within the psychological literature (Hur, 2006). However, an exploration of how empowerment definitions differ between men and women has yet to be conducted. A total of 141 participants (100 women and 41 men) completed either the online version or the classroom version of a short answer questionnaire. The data were examined using qualitative, inductive, thematic analysis by two teams of volunteer undergraduate students. Themes that emerged from the men’s data were power, achievement, and capability, while themes that emerged from the women’s data were power, achievement, capability, influence, and community.