In many years women have been taken to be subordinate to men in many societies and cultures of the world. Women have had “boundaries” that they have not been allowed to trespass in the past. Areas within these boundaries were only intended for men(Fernea 151). Anybody who tries trespassing these boundaries is seen to be moving away from the norm and hence going against the culture. In many of these cultures for example in Iran “women are far from legal equals of men”( Najmabadi 29). Men considered women as “commodities.” The “product of commodification of women-bride price, sale price, and children -was appropriated by men”( Gerdal 212). Gerdal argues that historically, “thinking women have had to choose between living a woman’s life, with its joys, dailiness, and immediacy, and living a man’s life to think”(Gerdal 224). This means that if women were to occupy the men’s sphere they had to abandon who they were and become like men to fit in. This was impossible for many women. They could not have anything of substance if they maintained their “woman’ personality. “Their knowledge was regarded to as intuition and any women’s talk became gossip”(Gerdal 225). However, this view of women has continued to fade in many parts of the world. “Societies have tried to “seriously bridge the gap between the supernatural and the base levels of society(Said 13). In some places, it has continued to be maintained. One of the places where it continues to be prevalent in the Middle East. The major reason why there has been a constant veil that creates boundaries between men and women is the adherence of the Middle Eastern societies to their cultures and traditions which put a lot of “emphasis on the chastity among women, the responsibilities and roles in the family, unequal access to divorce, inheritance and child custody”( Fernea 152).
The chastity of a woman within the Middle East is very important. This is the reason why the dress code is very important. For instance, in schools, as Elizabeth Fernea explains, students find it easier to study when they are wearing the Islamic dress code in that it allows them to concentrate. This is because the dress code allows the people surrounding them to understand that they are very serious with their studies and hence they receive very minimal attention since very few people if any is attracted to them. This helps them to maintain their chastity. As Elizabeth Fernea explains the young women who agree to adhere to the Islamic code of dressing receive a lot of trust from their parents and their reputation remains intact. According to the Middle Eastern culture when one embraces the Islamic code of dressing, the chances of maintaining their chastity is very high.
However, women in the middle east have begun to remove the veil. They are beginning to break these boundaries which have not been broken in the past. They have begun to come out of the cocoons that their cultures have been creating for them. For example, the mode of dressing is beginning to change. For example, they have changed from wearing the “milaya” and have adopted new modes of dressing(Fernea 152). Education is one of the factors that have caused a lot of young women to revolt against the veil. They are greatly influenced by their peers and they find themselves embracing the modest way of dressing. The other thing that makes women revolt against the veil is that society has begun to be divided into classes. The higher class within the society does not want to dress the same as the lower class. The lower class adhere to the Islamic dress code while the rich within the society embrace the western culture of wearing modest dressing. Women also turn to Modest wear in that even if they adhere to the Islamic code of dressing, they are still subject to men harassment in public places. It hence does not have any impact to adhere to the Islamic code of dressing(Fernea 154). The other important reason that has caused a great revolution against the veil is that women have now been allowed to work. This has allowed them to be away from men for quite a long time and this allows them to have more interactions with other women. By more interactions, it causes them to create more and more ideas of how to self-empower themselves which slowly cause a disintegration of the veil.
In the past the “socioeconomic conditions have favoured men…but recently elite women have began to gain ground with their male counterpart”(Hoodfar 422). Women have started to gain economic supremacy. Educated women are no longer dependant on men for their financial empowerment. They are hence free independent about the”artistic creation” in the case of things like dressing that they would like(Najmabadi 30).. Women have also begun to make women organizations that fight for the rights of women. These organizations help women to empower themselves financially. Once women have become financially depend they can easily break down the boundaries that exist between them and men because none of them is going to be dependent on the other.
Women are also beginning to occupy positions that have always been occupied by men meaning that they have already started to stream across the boundaries that used to exist between them and men. For example in Iran women have started to become “commentators of canonical and legal texts…which would no longer be considered to be a ‘manly’ preoccupation”(Najmabadi 31). In conclusion, women have suffered in the past because of the boundaries that existed between them and men. However, the changes in society are slowly disintegrating these boundaries.
Works Cited
Fernea, Elizabeth W. A Study Guide to the Film A Veiled Revolution’. 1982. Austin: University of Texas Film Library, Texas. Print.
Gerda, Lerner. “The Creation of Patriarchy.” Women & History 1 (1986): 212-219. Print.
Hoodfar, Homa. “The Veil in their Minds and on Our Heads.” Women, Gender, Religion: A Reader (2001): 420-429. Print.
Najmabadi, Afsaneh. “(Un)Veiling Feminism.” Social Text 64 ser. 18.63 (2000): 29-45. Print.
Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1979. Print.