The above mentioned criticisms do not question the theoretical conceptions of the
empowerment approach. Rather, they draw attention to the general difficulties faced
during its practical implementation. In other words, they draw attention to the gap
between the theory and the practice of empowerment. They show that many
activities conducted under the label of 'empowerment' do not fall into the category of
empowerment. However, as mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, other
approaches such as the equity and the GAD were also affected by similar difficulties
and problems. Therefore, the above mentioned criticisms are rather general ones
which concerns not only the empowerment approach but the whole women and
development discourse. In the following part, we will point to more specific criticisms
which directly question the theoretical assumptions of the empowerment approach.