The hijab has historically oppressed women
Religous conservatives have mandated the wearing of the hijab along with other oppressive laws.
Public resistance and protest rallies did not change the minds of the religious hardliners determined to build an Islamic society, which they believed would not be possible without an "Islamic" family and the imposition of the hijab on women. Rather, the protests indicated to the government that they would have to adopt a gradual policy, meanwhile establishing much tighter control over oppositional street demonstrations. Thus, by June 1980 — only 15 months after the regime's own statements to the contrary — Ayatollah Khomeini declared that women must wear the hijab at their workplaces and many women who resisted were promptly dismissed. By 1981, hijab had become compulsory not just for Iranian Muslim women but also for members of Iran's religious minorities and foreign female visitors in all public spaces. Despite resistance grounded in the criticism that the dress code trespasses women's basic human rights, the law continues to be harshly imposed.

 

In an attempt to send women back to their homes where many conservatives believed they belonged, workplace day-care facilities were closed. Compensation packages were introduced which encouraged women to retire after only fifteen years of work, or transfer their full salaries to their husband and resign or work part-time only.[1] Ostensibly, these programs would ease women's lives and make it possible for them to attend to their domestic and motherhood responsibilities. Despite the recent relaxation in rapid Islamization policies which had aimed to reform society mostly at the cost of women, as recently as 1992 the government introduced a bill allowing women to retire after twenty years of work. The government has reasoned that the bill compensates women's double day of household and labour market work, which together mean that twenty years of work outside the home are equivalent to forty actual years of labour; early retirement would also enable women to attend to their domestic responsibilities. However, after twenty years in the labour force, most women are no longer in the family building cycle and their children are grown up. Changes such as unpaid leave and the right to work in locations close to their homes (both advantages enjoyed by Egyptian women), which would benefit young employed women experiencing the pressures of raising young children and managing a new household, have not been introduced. The underlying purpose of the policy is clear: to reduce male unemployment by removing women from the labour market and offering the vacant positions to men. Consequently, as women Islamist activists have noted critically, women's public sector employment is reduced by 2 percent each year.[2]



[1] See Moghadam 1993 for a more detailed discussion of the subject.

 

[2] Mrs. Behrozy, a member of the parliament, has openly criticized Iran's patriarchal culture which prevents women's full participation in the labour market ( Zan-e RuzNo.1304, 1991). See also Moghadam 1993.

CONTEXT(Help)
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Argumentation and Debate - 38205 »Argumentation and Debate - 38205
Nickhat Ahmed »Nickhat Ahmed
Is France right in banning the Niqab? »Is France right in banning the Niqab?
France should not ban any religious symbol  »France should not ban any religious symbol
Banning the niqab is oppressive. »Banning the niqab is oppressive.
It does not oppress women »It does not oppress women
The hijab has historically oppressed women
Do all Muslim women wear hijab? »Do all Muslim women wear hijab?
History has also witnessed Female Muslim Head of States »History has also witnessed Female Muslim Head of States
Banning the niqab is oppressive. »Banning the niqab is oppressive.
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