Personal Growth Initiative as a Psychological Armor: Mitigating the Effects of Gender Discrimination on Women Empowerment

Abstract Personal growth initiative may serve as an internal mechanism through which urban, educated women attain empowerment in environments marked by strong patriarchal structures and collectivist ideologies. This study examines the relationship between personal growth initiative – defined as a self-directed pursuit of psychological development – and perceived gender discrimination and gender role attitudes, aiming to explain changes in empowerment among urban, educated Pakistani women ( N = 621, 23–59 years; M = 30.65, SD = 6.68). A moderated mediation model was tested, wherein personal growth initiative was conceptualized as both a protective factor and a moderator in the indirect relationship between gender role attitudes and empowerment, via perceived gender discrimination. Modern gender role attitudes were negatively associated with heightened perceptions of gender discrimination, and positively associated with women empowerment. Higher levels of personal growth initiative weakened this negative association of gender discrimination and women empowerment, both directly and indirectly. The findings highlight personal growth initiative as a promising psychological resource that may help urban, educated Pakistani women. By focusing on internal agency and personal development, the study offers insights into how individual-level strengths can support empowerment within challenging sociocultural environments.