Women and Social Constraints in Islamic Society
He wakes up in the morning—
Does his teeth, bite to eat, and he’s rolling—
Never change a thing, the week ends, and week begins—
And all the little ants are marching, red and black antennas waving—
They all do it the same, they all do it the same way.
The philosopher Kempis noted, “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” Throughout history and throughout the world socially constructed variables have substantially impacted how both men and women formulate their individual identity. Group influences such as family, religion, region, culture, race and socio-economic class, impact and often dictate the life-long decisions we choose make to as individuals even within the most free of societies. Frequently through these pressures we see trends over time and across the globe that specifically affect the choices that women make for ‘themselves’. Decisions regarding how and to what extent they might be educated, how many child they might have and at what point in their lives they might have them, when, how, and to whom they will be married, are often decisions decided for them before they can even speak. One might argue that this is not necessarily the case globally, but the contention can be made that regardless of religion, country of origin, race, ethnic background, level of “freeness”, or opportunity women’s lives are still very much determined by gender based socialization limiting their ability to truly make choices of their own independent will. The argument will be made that above culture, race, and religion, the relationship between the genders impacts the choices women make, and more importantly...
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...es. It may seem cynical, but men and ‘their’
language, ‘their’ economy, ‘their’ politics and ‘their’ world, force women into specific roles and decisions at every moment of their lives. In the end, Asya may not have even been able to free herself from the influence of others and society in her daily life and own decision making. Most often women in this world do not even know that they live within these social constraints or worse reinforce them by their own behaviors. Until this is universally understood little progress will be achieved in the true liberation of women. Janis Joplin, a liberal, feminist musician singing in the times of Asya, wrote:
Try, try, try just a little bit harder—
So I can love, love, love him, I tell myself—
Well, I’m gonna try, yeah, just a little bit harder—
So I won’t lose, lose, lose him to nobody else—
Won’t lose him to myself—
All people are forced to see themselves as society has shaped them, both male and female. Although progress for gender impartiality has been made, it can still be said that societal maxims enforce the incorrect notion that women are inferior to men. In matters of economics, women are offered far fewer employment opportunities, and I believe that this can be validated by the fact that many women have been conditioned to "marry well and let him...
(For federal elections) "By reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax" - (24th Amendment, 1964) (Wikipedia)
...ning the minimum wage? There are so many individuals divided on the issue that we may not see a decision made for years. While proponents of raising the minimum wage believe that raising the minimum wage would be great for families and people in general, opponents believe that raising the minimum wage is not necessary because many people who earn minimum wage are high school students and it would be terrible for businesses. Also, opponents believe that it should not be raised due to inflation. If there is an agreement between opponents, proponents, and the government, there could be a universal agreement to raise the minimum wage. There already some states that have raised the minimum wage, and the government is most likely studying them to see if raising the minimum wage is best for individuals. But I believe time will tell what will happen with the minimum wage.
The World’s Religions by Huston Smith is a novel based on the different religions found around the world. The main area of focus within this book was to expand the knowledge of different cultures and their religions. The chapters that were specified to focus on include Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the Primal Religions. Go into detail about each religion. Smith goes into great detail about each religion, concentrating on the teachings and essential elements of each religion, important people that helped form the religion, and traditions. He specifically discusses how these three religions are very similar rather then how different they are, with the main studies on Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad. Finally he discusses the Primal Religions – meaning the traditions that are passed down through oral communication.
In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the Middle Eastern men to view women as their properties, servants, or even as slaves. Ultimately, there are three main reasons why Middle Eastern men engage in the act of oppressing their women.
The allegation that videogames cause violent behavior in children has been present as long as videogames themselves. Some researchers said that the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, was one intense gamer. “Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech Shooter was seen by his roomates as odd because he never joined them in video games.”(Beresin) This debate will continue to go on in this country as long as there are horrific crimes that occur. There is much written in the research regarding this issue, and many differing views. The research that is presented in the next few paragraphs supports the theory that it is not the graphic video games that produce aggressive behavior, but other factors in a child’s life that create violent actions.
The Women of the Middle East have played substantial roles for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Middle Eastern women have worked in all types of fields including medicine, education, agriculture, government, private sector, and even defense. They have kept roofs over their family’s heads while their husbands were away in wars, or even in foreign countries to work in jobs that they could not find in their own countries. The roles of women in the countries of Yemen and Oman are no exception, but while they still find ways to contribute to their country, they care constantly stereotyped, discriminated, and ridiculed by men who are known and unknown to them. This paper will discuss the individual contributions of the women living in Yemen and Oman, and will discuss in further state laws and cultural norms that are affecting the women living in these countries today.
From the very beginning of history, women were portrayed to be insignificant in comparison to men in society. A woman 's purpose was deemed by men to be housewives, bear children and take care of the household chores. Even so, that at a young age girls were being taught the chores they must do and must continue through to adulthood. This ideal that the woman’s duty was to take charge of household chores was then passed through generations, even til this day. However, this ideology depends on the culture and the generation mothers were brought up in and what they decide to teach their daughters about such roles. After women were given the opportunity to get an education and treated as equals, society’s beliefs undertook a turning point on women’s roles in society. Yet, there still seems to be a question amongst women in search of self identity and expectations from parents.
The role of woman, her position and status in society, and her nature have been issues of debate and discussion informed by religion, tradition and culture, misogyny, feminism and - many times - downright ignorance and bigotry.
Raising the minimum wage would have too many negative ripple effects theoretically and realistically. In 2016, online activity for the phrase increased minimum wage reached its second highest point per Google Trends. Politically, socially, and economically minimum wage has both opponents and proponents scratching their heads. Two parties are clear split on the topic and University students should clear stand on one side if they truly care about everyone’s long term goals. Minimum wage should not be increased at the federal level because it rids the taught principles, tarnishes the purpose of having a minimum wage, and due its negative effects on both the present and future.
In western society males are taught what it means to be masculine and females are taught what it means to be feminine. Lorber (1994:57) states “Individuals are born sexed but not gendered, and they have to be taught to be masculine or feminine.” As we grow older we are taught what is expected of us on the basis of what gender were identify as and/or what gender other people perceive us as. For instance, a woman is expected to cook, clean, and have occupations such as a nurse, or secretary. A man is expected to have be either have top jobs such as a surgeon or have a tough labor jobs, and be the bread winners. Western society expects each gender to stay within their gender role. Lorber (1994:61) argues “As, a structure, gender divides work in the home and in economic production…” Once an individual goes outside these expectations breaking they are out casted. Gender is a process that creates what is man and what woman based off of what other perceive what is expected of and should be expressed by each gender, making gender socially constructed. Lorber (1994:60) argues “As a process, gender creates the social differences that define ‘women’ and ‘man.’ In social interaction throughout their lives, individuals learn what is expected, and see what is expected act and
In the 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, and soon after signed an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for the individuals working on new federal service contracts. An increase in the minimum wage has been a topic of discussion for many years now, and it looks like this year will finally see the first increase of minimum wage in 10 years. Not everyone agrees that there should be an increase, but many states have already raised their minimum wage rates because of the federal government’s inaction. Iowa raised the state’s wage, and it will rise again in 2016. Clearly there are benefits to a higher minimum wage; the current minimum wage in the United States should be raised because it helps the economy by increasing employment, and it is now at the lowest value it has been in more than 50 years, causing hardship for earners of minimum wage.
While people in the west think that women in Islam are oppressed, they do not know that Islam liberated women from oppression. There are many people who have opinions about the religion of Islam, but mostly about the women who follow it. Westerners have this idea that women in Islam are disrespected, mistreated and oppressed. In actuality, these allegations are incorrect. Women in Islam have rights and are not oppressed. The veil is widely misunderstood and many do not know what it represents. In many ways, men and women are equal as much as they are not; and this is in every religion.
In the past, many people believed that women’s exclusive responsibilities were to serve their husband, to be great mothers and to be the perfect wives. Those people considered women to be more appropriate for homemaking rather than to be involved in business or politics. This meant that women were not allowed to have a job, to own property or to enjoy the same major rights as men. The world is changing and so is the role of women in society. In today’s society, women have rights that they never had before and higher opportunities to succeed.
In today’s globalized world, women’s studies is emerging as a fast growing discipline which is not restricted any more to the academia but is significantly capturing the attention of the civil society. The way civil society responded to “Nirbhaya” gang-rape case of December, 2012 in Delhi; the way people came on the streets in protest against this horrific and barbarous crime committed against a 23 year old woman; this people’s movement has undoubtedly engineered the emergence of a new consciousness among us about the need for a realization of women’s honour and dignity in the society. There have been serious debates on the issue of whether more stringent laws (in the line of Shari’a law) be implemented in our Indian society so that such heinous crimes against women can be prevented. However, the aforesaid incident is only one among many hundred other such crimes happening everyday in almost every corner of the globe. Many such incidents of crime are either suppressed or do not come to limelight. The following analysis is a humble attempt to deal with the status of women (especially in Islam) in a globalized world.