TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > The Position of Women in Islamic Society
Issues
- Marriage: man may have 4 wives but a woman only 1 husband.
- Divorce: easier for man to divorce then a woman.
- Dress Code: women must wear a dress which covers the whole of her body (except for face and hands) wearing of veil.
- Child Marriages: in many countries arranged marriages for v. young girls are common.
- Employment: in practice all employment is forbidden in some countries (under argument that work brings women into contact w/ men in an unacceptable way.) (ONLY IN EXTREME COUNTRIES!!! I GO TO WORK!!!)
- Education: there must be segregation à the reality is there are much fewer women in full time education.
- Restrictions on: (in some countries)
- going out unsupervised
- wearing cosmetics
- driving cars
- Visiting public baths etc.
Factors to be considered
- The extent to which the inferior status is built into the faith (i.e.: divorce laws)
- The extent to which women’s status varies from country to country according to interpretations of the Koran.
- Different sects of Islam
- The Koran was revolutionary in comparison to the way women were treated then (as goods)
- No separation of Church and State in Islam (elements of religious belief will be found in law)
- In western-Christian society changes in women’s right only took place recently.
- There still exists inequality in the west and forms of exploitation.
- Christian marriage ceremony includes promise of wife to ‘obey’ husband.
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