Long debated in feminist history, the presence of women in the work field is scrutinized for being either exploitative or emancipatory. To make matters even more controversial, when Islamic practice is introduced to the “women at work” debate the issue of Islam being oppressive in nature is also introduced.
First, the issue of passivity. A gender norm in and of itself for women, women are stereotyped as passive and submissive in their ways of going through the world. For example, rather than being active or resistant to the ways things can happen to a person, a woman may accept it without being responsive or explosive. The embodiment of this acceptance is referred to as sabir in Islam. Like the women-at-work-debate, a woman’s stereotyped silence can be understood as an inner strength or as weakness. There is strength in acceptance and perseverance, however, weakness in what is seen as inaction. Unlike men, women’s right to choice– in reaction, in hobby, in paid work– is being chosen for them. In other words, the act of debating the right way for a woman to act (in order for them to avoid oppression) is a form of oppression.
As described in the article, work is either deemed as patriarchy exploiting women or as an outlet for enacting agency. Issues of exploitation, interestingly enough, only seem to be brought up though when women seek to be compensated for their labor. For instance, women are most often the givers of care in relationships. In relationships, the labor or work you put into them is unpaid. Specifically, as mothers they nurture their children and feed and take care of their partner’s (based on norms). When a mother has a job on top of the relationships in her life, the mother (technically) is working a double shift. For example, following an eight hour work day a mother will come home and have housework–like feeding her children or doing laundry (again, stereotypically). In feminism there is the concept of the burden of care. The burden of care relates to the carer not receiving care. The woman carries the burden of caring for others without being recognized for doing so. For women to pursue acknowledgement outside of the home is an act against the oppression that puts them in the home. The eagerness of society to criticize the acts of women pursuing outside work, especially when they already face scrutiny within the home for unpaid care is unfair. Why should an outside party dictate what is or is not oppressive to a woman that is deemed equal to man, according to the Qu’ran?
