Celebrating Women's Voices: Book Recommendations for Women's Empowerment During Women's History Month
Inspiring Reads by and About Women: Celebrate Strength, Resilience, and Stories That Empower
PODCAST
Listen to the podcast episode here.
READ THE TRANSCRIPT BELOW.
Hello and welcome back to Bibliotherapy with Bijal Shah. I'm so excited to be back with you for season three of our podcast, and I hope you enjoyed episode one, which aired on Tuesday, I shared my conversation with literacy coach and bookologist Stephanie Affinito on the power of literary journaling and reflective practice. Today I want to talk about a topic close to my heart, women's empowerment. It's Women's History Month, and we just celebrated International Women's Day a few weeks ago - so much has been written in this space in recent years with some increasingly important books to highlight,
Throughout history books have shaped movements, and helped redefine what's possible, whether through fictional heroines, defying expectations or real life women breaking barriers, literature helps us see the world and ourselves differently. And before we dive into specific books, let's take a moment to reflect on why these stories are so essential, why women's empowerment in literature matters.
Books offer representation. Seeing strong female protagonists, leaders, and change makers help us believe in our potential. They educate and inform from historical accounts to feminist theory. Books provide the knowledge we need to challenge societal norms. Their catalysts for social change.
Books like The Handmaid's Tale, have influenced real world activism. When Atwood wrote it in 1985, she had a rule that every oppressive measure in the book had to be based on something that had actually happened in history.That makes it even more chilling. When we see its themes playing out today, it is extraordinary that this is allowed to happen. That historical grounding really adds another layer to its impact.
Literature fosters solidarity. When we see our struggles reflected in stories, we feel less alone. Most importantly, books help us reimagine the world. They show us what is possible when barriers are broken and when women lead.
Let's just recap quickly on some of the key messages from International Women's Day 2025. This year's theme, Accelerate Action. It's a powerful call to urgency. While progress has been made, studies suggest that it might take over a century to close the gender gap unless we take bold immediate steps. Here are some of the key focus areas for this year and how they connect to the books we'll discuss today. Firstly, forging women's economic empowerment. Financial independence is key to freedom. Women continue to face wage gaps, workplace discrimination, and barriers to entrepreneurship.
Here are two excellent books that focus on women's economic empowerment.