The assigned chapters for this week consider the role of religion in the oppression of women in developing countries. It is easy for those of us in countries that enjoy religious equality and freedom to equate the issues related to disparities in women’s health and human rights with restrictive religious beliefs. Women living under a theocratically ruled government, as we see in many Islamist countries in the Middle East, face numerous injustices and abuses that are often thought to be prescribed by God. At the same time, the United States, while claiming the idea of religious freedom, has enacted policy based on conservative Christian values that also negatively impact oppressed women in developing countries. It might be valuable to take a step back from what could easily become a circular argument and consider whether it is religion or deeper cultural issues that need to be addressed. A few questions we might ask ourselves: How does religion affect the health and welfare of women in developing countries?
Is the oppression of women more attributable to religious or cultural values?
What types of change might be implemented in largely theocratic societies to ensure the basic human rights of women are being met?
Because of religion in these countries, women are very limited to expressing their thoughts, opinions, and even what they wear, none of which we are subject to in the United States. Although some countries and religions are urging greater equality among women, there is still a surplus of harsh, immoral acts that occur because of conservative religions. For example, Half the Sky depicts an event that occurred in Saudi Arabia in 2002 where girls were forced back into a building that was on fire until they put back on the proper attire, such as long black cloaks, due to their religious beliefs that women must wear full, dark attire. This is an obvious example of how religion overpowers the safety and health of women in Islam as well as many other countries in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteI believe the oppression of women was originally more attributable to religious values because these kind of values were created a long time ago when certain religions were first established. However, in present day it seems as though the oppression of women now evolves around a country’s cultural values because they are more focused on the “lessening” or abolishment of women altogether, which religiously and according to God, would never be meant in the first place. Like depicted in the beginning of chapter 9, women are deliberately not taken to a doctor if the doctor is male, which goes to show again that women’s health is not very important and it would be okay if a women died because of this excuse. God would never want this on women or anybody for that matter, so it seems to me that the oppression of women is more attributable to cultural values.
It would make the most sense to simply treat women the way men are treated in order to ensure that the basic human rights of women are being met under large theocratic societies. I don’t believe otherwise that God ever intended for a major inequality of men and women, although it would take a lot of time for multiple countries to treat women the same way men are treated.
The example I found from our reading that seemed most directly related to religion’s effect on women was the rule about women’s contact with strange men without proper covering. From the story about women having to go back into a burning building to put on their burkas, to women not being able to see a doctor because all of them are men, this seems the most hurtful piece of religion. I believe the true culprit is ingrained cultural tendencies. These may be blamed on religion, or may have been inspired by religion but the treatment of women goes well beyond what religion decides. It’s true that in Muslim areas that the inequality of women is more prevalent, but I believe that comes more from a dictatorial society in which a large percentage of the population is uneducated.
ReplyDeleteAny religion can be interpreted to back up certain beliefs. There are many passages from the bible that can be used to support slavery, or decrease women’s rights to power, but as Sakena points out in the book, there are many passages in the Koran that women can use to convince their husbands to respect them, it’s just that the men and women haven’t been taught those passages. I also very much agree with her about education’s role in changing the treatment of women. If you provide the people with the knowledge and skills needed to improve their cultural thinking, you will change the society for the better. Women will be able to gather the information necessary to defend themselves and their daughters, and they will have the option of raising their sons better informed. I believe this is how Western culture was able to move forward while Muslim areas stayed stuck in their thinking. The spread of education throughout society allows for positive change.
Women are being oppressed by both cultural and religious values. Not being able to see a male doctor is a religious view that puts women's health in jeopardy directly. Women are effected by cultural values to because it happens all over the world and it's not just in the middle east. It has been the history of inequality since we can remember that gives men a feeling of being better. It's shown in everyday activities and bred into children at a young age.
ReplyDeleteEducation is key to stop these inequalities. Many women are starting to translate verses in the Koran that can help to stop the injustices brought on them. Many men try to use the Koran to explain why women can do certain things and more women were educated then they have a chance to fight back and be able to gain some of their freedoms. The United States still has many inequalities to women but a lot of progress has been made in the past century and that can be linked to the number of women with an education increasing. Also, the spread of networking through technology can help women combat with inequalities by being able to communicate with women around the world and see how they faught against injustices brought upon them.
Religion affects women greatly in Muslim cultures. In the beginning of chapter 9, Nick is interviewing a boy whose father had died. His mother is not allowed to go to the doctor because their is not a female doctor and his religion does not allow woman to be seen by male doctors. In the interview Nick asks what if the mother is in danger of dying and the boys response is "I would mourn my mother." I think that quote sums it up how women are valued in that culture.
ReplyDeleteI think that religion and culture is linked so closely together in most of these regions that it is not necessarily one more than the other. The girls that were not allowed to come out of the burning school unless they were wearing their headdress and full body cloaks were being policed by religion, but it is also seen as culturally unacceptable to not be fully covered.
Women scholars are working on better translating the Koran, so that women have more rights and are treated better. Educating the public is very important, but if the education is not going to be recognized and/or valued then it will only help so much. The fact that an uneducated man holds more rights than a woman, who is a lawyer, in the courts does not seem right.
Women continue to be affected on a daily basis by their religious and cultural values. I believe the biggest downfall that some of these religions present is the issue of personal health. Woman in some cultures are not allowed to see male doctors for any reason. This could result in these woman dying from an illness that could have potentially been cured. These woman need to be educated that although their religion may be very important to them, their livilihood should be the most important thing. Scholars are working towards translating the Koran so that they can better educated these individuals of these issues.
ReplyDeleteAnother issue that these religions bring in to play is the inability for these woman to accurately express themselves. Whether it is being forced to wear headdresses or being forced into an arranged marriage, these woman are being pushed into these actions. In countries like the U.S., woman are allowed to dress how they want, say what they want, and be with whoever they are most attracted to. Actions towards translating this language and educating these woman need to continue to happen so that these woman may have the enjoyable lives many american woman take for granted. Changes should be made to make all women able of doing all things that men can do.
There are aspects to organized religion that are unquestionably destructive to a peaceful and improved civilizations. Historically Religion has placed a lot of restrictions on the rights of women. Where religion contributes to the order of society and a feeling of well being amongst citizens, its benefits are great. When it contributes to ignorance, inefficiency and poverty it becomes a cost to society. The laws in many developing countries may have started with a foundation in religion but culturally their interpretation could have changed with time. Now because of the repetition in culture, religion becomes an excuse for male supremacy. For example, in Chapter 9 of “Half the Sky” when the authors tell of a culture where women can be left for dead just because they can not be seen by a male doctor. Any Holy books scripture can be interpreted to support the stance of the reader. It is because of the cultural mind-set that rich and educated men are of higher importance that their religion supports them and oppresses women.
ReplyDeleteWomen need to be educated so that they may gain the self esteem and knowledge needed to make their voices heard and one day valued. If men are always looked at as superior, law and religion will continue to oppress the women in developing countries. With an education women would find scripture in their religion to support themselves and find value in herself as a woman.
I think that in developing countries culture affects the health and welfare of women more than religion does. As proposed in the text, religions can be easily misinterpreted to say one thing when they mean something completely different. Another thought that I had while reading this chapter was that religion is a part of a country or regions culture but not so much the other way around. With this in mind I feel like we should be more focused on a country's culture than its religion because the religion could actually be one of many, but the culture is more likely to be all the same. So, I feel that the health and welfare of women is more affected by a country's culture because the culture is shared by all who live in that country while the religion may not.
ReplyDeleteWith all this in mind, I would definitely say that the oppression of women is more attributable to cultural values. There are many facts presented in the book that back this up such as women can serve as a judge in a court of law yet they are not allowed to testify and that women must have the consent of their husband to leave the country. While these are seen as social injustices, it seems that some middle eastern women are bothered that people think that this is their problem to solve. One woman is quoted as saying,
"But these are our problems, not yours. We don’t want anybody fighting for us-and we certainly don’t want anybody feeling sorry for us.”
which almost gives the feeling that they are OK with being treated this way, because it is a part of the culture, and more importantly it is a part of the culture that they belong to. So, I think that these are terrible injustices, however the women of these countries are not completely helpless and that maybe we should take a step back and let them say what they feel and fight for themselves if they really want to.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I believe that treating women unfairly is without a question more cultural than it is religious. Although the worse countries for treating women unfairly are predominately Muslim, the smaller Christian group also treats women the same based on their cultural beliefs. The countries that are more predominately Muslim do have higher women deaths during birth but I believe that the reason for this is due to the fact that in these countries there are one thousand year old beliefs that women are lesser than men and do not believe that women should receive the same medical treatment. There is evidence that times are changing though. In a recent poll in Egypt, the population believes that women should have the same right to education as men. This is crucial to change since education is the basis to any change. If women and men alike are aware that there is a skewed view in how women are treated then it is highly likely that there will be change in the future. Also with the use of technology such as cell phones and the internet, people around the world are able to connect to each other and realize what wrongs are being done in their respective countries. I believe in time through education and technology that one day women around the world will not be victimized but be treated as equals which in turn will make the entire world a better place.
ReplyDeleteReligion completely affects the health and welfare of women in the developing countries mentioned in the book, and in other areas as well. The chapter starts off with giving an example of how women are not provided the same health care as men. Nick’s interpreter was telling him how his mother has never been to a doctor and can never go because she would have to go to a female doctor, and there were none there. Males could only go to male doctors, and there were only male doctors where they were. If his mother was dying, she could not see a doctor. This is awful to think that if an illness struck her, she would die because no one would treat her because she is female. Religion also affects welfare in developing countries because women are not entitled to the same inherit rights. In Half the Sky, it says that daughters can only inherit half as much as the son can. Women also cannot have the same jobs as the men can, depending on certain families beliefs. Women also account for most of the population of higher education because they do better on entrance exams, but still they are not seen as intelligent or equal to men.
ReplyDeleteI think the oppression of women is more attributable to religious beliefs before cultural beliefs. The way the Koran was translated at first used words that were demeaning to women and therefore making them be seen as unequal and less worthy than men. Over time, however, I believe the oppression has turned more into cultural values because it is just the way things are done and they stick to what they know and have been brought up with for so long.
Changes that need to be implemented to ensure the basic human rights of women are being met should definitely include having the same healthcare options as men. If there happens to not be a woman doctor in the area, a woman should be allowed to seek treatment through a male doctor. Women should also have the same job opportunities as men, because that is gender discrimination not to allow the most qualified person to have the job regardless of whether they are male or female. Laws should be set in place to ensure these rights are being given to women, because they do deserve the same rights as males.
Women in developing countries that are Muslim face many injustices due to their cultural values that are formed by their religious beliefs. Half the Sky talks about the women in Islamic countries being forced to wear certain clothes and only being able to see certain doctors. Their religion is obviously having a negative effect on women because they don't have the simple freedom to wear what they choose or receive proper medical care. Either the Koran has been misinterpreted for hundreds or years, or it has some pretty bad ideas inside of it. I think the oppression of women in developing countries is caused by religion and the culture shaped by that religion. Muslims firmly believe men are the supreme beings of society and that women are to be submissive.
ReplyDeleteIn these Muslim/Developing societies, I believe religious freedom is definitely the way to go, though the people of these countries would never buy into it. The egotistical and power hungry men would never give up the throne to other religions. Their beliefs allow them to treat women as objects and have complete control of society. However, if the women truly believe in their religion too, then I'm not sure what can be done to give them more freedom. Even here in America, where they have all the freedom in the world, Muslim women still choose to wear their burkas and follow all their religious beliefs. My very far-fetched idea to help the world out would be to get rid of the Islamic religion all together...NOT get rid of the people, but do away with their belief system. Apparently it hasn't done too much good for women or society as a whole for that matter. Maybe then people of developing countries would open their eyes to truth and see how their lives can be transformed. Our country was founded on Christian principles, and for over 200 years we have thrived as a nation and world power. Maybe we got something right when we put our faith in God.
I beleive that the oppression of women in developing countries is the result of extreme ignorant dedication to religion which has formed a culture that is discussed in the text. For example, Nick finds out that a woman is not allowed to see a doctor because it is a male and that the woman's son will not let her see the male doctor. It shows that the son has control over her, and yet will let her die before seeing a male doctor. The son has the option to let his mother be treated and possibly saved but he would rather go a long with what Islam says than help his suffering mother. This example specifically implies that because the way women are treated, their health and well being is ignored and they will suffer without any control. The culture is based around religion in many societies all over the world. But in the Islamic communities, a culture has been formed over time that says you cannot go against the religion no matter what. Like Ellaha, who wanted to focus on education and getting a job, was forced by her father to leave the construction company to marry her cousin. Ellaha could have had a very bright future, but because of her family's (father's) beliefs, she was prevented the opportunity to prevail.
ReplyDeleteIn order for there to be a chance of change in these communities, the people must change and be open to it. Instead of forcing women to be completely covered at all times, give them the opportunity to be completely clothed or not. This way at first, not that many women will do it, but over time there will be some who want to change. Women already have the right to vote, but their's should count as a whole vote and not half of one. With these changes, over time the culture in these theocratic societies will change and ultimatly become more fair to women.
Religion has a drastic impact on the health and welfare of women, women aren't able to receive healthcare from males and with educated females being frowned upon there isn't any true healthcare for the women of Islam.
ReplyDeleteI say it's both religion and culture values that are causes of oppression to women. It's so difficult to change the practice of a religion or culture that has be going for so long as strict as the practices are. Many fear change or what they do not know. The question is “Is Islam misogynistic?” it all depends on how you look at it, because we are judging from the outside perspective. A lot of people think that the mistreatment of women comes from the Muslim religion when a lot of it stems from their culture. For example, a daughter only inherits half of what a son would inherit; from the outside in, it seems unfair. At the same time, the man is supposed to provide and take care of the family which means women do not need as much “property”.
In my opinion, we do not need to be the ones to change the culture of the Islamic nation. Change has to come from within; with that being said if change is desired but the tools to make the change aren’t present then I feel it is ok to assist in that regard. The Muslim women don’t want or need our pity; they just need us to understand the roles of gender in their society and how they truly feel about their lifestyle.
As a man living in the Middle-East and a Muslim, I think these words would be interesting and helpful:
ReplyDeleteThere is a well-known saying that “ Chador( long black attire) is not a restriction but an immunity”. Which implies that women cover themselves from men’s eyes to protect themselves from hazards while conveniently consider their daily life. In Iran, there are different options for women to wear that are not similar in appearance. By this, others could realize the intensity of religious beliefs and notice if they are ruled to cover or it has been adoptive. For example, When you get into a party where both sexes are together, you will learn that with whom you can shake hand or not. In my view, the latter have independently chosen how they look like or treated so debating over their welfare would not be rational and practical. However via media they could be taught unconsciously and compare their living conditions to others. Although, This idea would be sensible when religion is not governing a country.
With prevalence of satellite and internet, new generations have got familiar with their peers living in other countries/cities, made connections, shared ideas and life stories. As we are witnessing and if we survey over Facebook profiles, more than 70 percent of women share their pictures without covers although some of them act conservatively due to social security and job safety. Also, these days, many girls are not willing to follow their mother’s religious behaviors . Probably, these societies are going to be ignorant of restrictive circumstances and becoming rather secular than before.
In long run, covering heads and bodies has turned to worrisome physical, psychological and sociological problems specially for women. Here, gym sport saloons, swimming pools, formal parties, subways, public buses, etc., separate male and female users in order to respond government control over religious practices. Consequently, when women and men have lowest physical and social contacts, It leads to lack of spiritual stimulants and spiritless society. Moreover, since women are covered, as I see, most of them suffer from obesity and physical problems attributable to restrictions that their beliefs and governmental/social constraints have generated. Additionally, separation of girls and boys or even feeling separated, prevailing in most hours of the day, may gradually cause them receive depression and other psychological disease because they could not interact with their opposite sex, play, exercise, sing or celebrate a birthday in a comfortable and relaxed/stress less atmosphere.
According to cultural norms, men have to support their families financially, so they have priorities in employment and have more chance in obtaining a job. Further, Some university degrees( operable in physically- demanding conditions ) are assigned only to male students. This culture and the fact that majority of women themselves, rely on men ,and to avoid likely financial and social difficulties, have prompted the Iran’s parliament to express it’s concerns and control the number of girls who applying to universities. Nonetheless, In Iran, girls have outnumbered boys in universities.
From what Philip and other friends said, in my country male doctors can see female patients and vice versa. If an individual has particular beliefs, he/she could choose to visit a specific doctor. As there are clear diversities in beliefs and capacities, we cannot judge all Muslim countries even in Middle-East as a whole. Regarding what Jenny explained about a disaster in Saudi Arabia, you can never observe the same experience in Iran. On the other hand, Iranian government leaders have diminished their control over girls and boys due to low rate of marriage and raise in homosexual inclinations. Oppression may not instantly shows it’s consequences and in my opinion and other critics, when women are under pressure, men will receive the same even worse. However, providing solutions and strategies needs a lot of effort and cooperation of experts that I delegate to you.
Shahab, Thanks for your insightful contribution to this debate. It is a privilege to have your perspective on these issues. Best, DM
ReplyDeleteHi - I found your blog and the responses to be very intersting. What texts were you reading? Thank you.
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