When marginalized social groups gain empowerment and the ability to be seen and heard to achieve positive social, political and economic change, there is broad consensus that they will achieve a positive outcome (Cornwall and Brock, 2005). Participation and empowerment, when harnessed for the common good and effectively, are a means to an end; they are harmonizing and symbiotic processes of each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Power is held and lost or gained by people and institutions, called agency. It can also be a way in which societies and cultures operate, and therefore influence the structure of social norms, the way a society and its actors behave and what they believe (Hayward, 2000). Empowerment involves changing the political, economic and social structures, norms and behaviors of a society that were previously disenfranchised, to enable them to become a powerful force. When empowerment occurs, the excluded gain access to formal power, those with legitimate authority. , and can influence and redefine social, political and economic outcomes. However, some arguments about empowerment to end poverty suggest that an increase in the power of the marginalized means a decrease in the power of others, and that this is what will cause resistance to change. If one social group wins, another loses. For this reason, some theorists argue that it is essential that political and economic policies identify opportunities for change for the disenfranchised without diminishing opportunities for other social groups, shifting policy from a "social approach zero-sum” to a “positive-sum game” (Narayan-Parker, Pritchett & Kapoor, 2009, P. 272). The Lawrence Strike of 1912 in the United States of America was led by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union. Also known as the "bread and roses" strike, so named after a speech by socialist union organizer Rose Schneiderman in which she said: "The working woman must have bread, but she must also have roses” (Ross, 2013, P. 121). ). The verse is taken from a poem of the same name and has been set to music several times. The strikers were mainly immigrant workers. Before the strike, there were very few organized workers, working conditions and wages were poor. composed largely of women. By recognizing the need for leadership, the IWW united the distressed social group of immigrant workers, gaining a voice that was received with a wave of support across America. President Taft addressed the conditions of industrial workers across the country, and negotiations between government officials and factory owners helped end the strike. For those who want to become more empowered, it is necessary to reconfigure relationships and the power structure through understanding. the borders that confined them and kept them in poverty, as in the case of the Bread and Roses strike. Through the opening of narratives between actors, possibilities open up. This is made possible through changing power relations (Eyben, Naila Kabeer & Cornwall, 2008). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay..