Rights of the Women in the Middle East - Essay Example

Task Women’s Rights in the Middle East Compared To the 1st World A vital gauge of comprehending the of universal comfort is women privileges. Many countries across the world did change the accord on women privileges years ago with an exception of many countries of the Middle East region (Keddie 17). The issues affecting women in the Middle East region range from financial, literary to political matters. Examples of the issues affecting the women in this region are sexual prejudice, poverty and excessively working though still getting the lowest pays (Keddie 32). Most countries in the Middle East follow the Islamic faith which according to the administrations is law. Women in the first world on the contrary do enjoy several benefits when put in comparison to their counterparts in the Middle East (Keddie 14). The women, in this part of the globe, enjoy benefits such as strategies within the public beneficiary schemes, fairness in getting employment opportunities, more representation in the political circles along with better pay (Riviera 61). Women in the Middle East suffer from less favorable conditions than all their counterparts around the world. Women around the globe are increasingly getting recognition from the various administrations governing their nations. The Middle Eastern women still encounter shortages in their rights. Community standards regulate the participation of women in various activities in their economies (Moghadum 113). This relegates them to the rank of subsidiaries in the society. The administrations in the region remain adamant to making changes in the legislation available to curb these issues of disparity. The women in the region do not have protection from issues such as rape in marriage and abuse from their husbands. According to the freedom report of 2009, the Middle Eastern region still comes last in terms of the women’s political and social freedoms. This is largely due to the absence of independent foundations such the courts and the regulation of alliances and congregations for women (Moghadum 23). However, the women in countries such as Kuwait and Bahrain which fall in the region have made great advances towards the achievement of various rights within their societies (Riviera 37). In Kuwait, women can now vote whereas, in Bahrain, the women can get passports for travelling without obtaining the consent of their male counterparts (Riviera 101). Women participation in parliamentary sessions within some countries is on the rise and helps in improving their participation in their community’s affairs. These achievements have always been met by firm opposition from the religious leaders and the administrations. For example, the Syrian administration did stop increasing the influence of religious beliefs in family issues when women organizations did bring a lot of stiff opposition to the issue (Riviera 56). Libyan authorities have had to abolish a stipulation by their law that youthful women who want to leave the country go with a male relative. This has been largely due to the opposition coming from the citizens of the country and the government’s newspaper (Riviera 165). Denmark is a country that is found in Europe and is a typical example of a first world country. The women in this country do enjoy many liberties in comparison to their sisters in the Middle East. As early as in the 1960’s, women in this country already had approval from the men in their country for the purpose of employment (Walter 88). This did come as a result of the deficiency the country had in their labor levels after the financial boom of the 1960s. The administration did expand their childcare systems and made improvements in their strategies towards giving leave to parents. This enables the Danish women to be able to have a family and work at the same time and has become the foundation of their welfare schemes (Walter 41). The participation of women in the country’s labor force did rise to 75.5% in 1997 from 43.5% in the year 1960 (Walter 121). The women with children get the encouragement to work from their community childcare schemes with funding from the government, payment of parents on leave for purposes of raising their children with assurances of equal chances of employment. Women also have the benefit of longer maternal periods that begin even before the child is born (Walter 179). In Denmark and most first world countries, women have equality in the work place with men unlike in the Middle East region where women are subordinate to men. Legislation on equal treatment in the workplace for both men and women such as the Equal Treatment Act of 1978 that prevents sexual biases in employing, sacking and promoting employees ensure that women enjoy similar opportunities with men (Walter 29). The women in these countries have a lot of representation in the lowly paying jobs and the civic sector. This is different in most of the Middle East countries where women have minimal representation in the administration with the exception of a few countries such as Kuwait and Bahrain (Moghadum 52). The Middle East region commonly encounters wars and insecurity is a major concern in the area. This implies that for there to be any development within the region, the administrations in the region should ensure there is security within their respective populations. This aids in ensuring that there are no disruptions to the order of business in a community where some activities are run by women. Peace tends to attract more investment into a region, from both foreign and domestic investors (Moghadum 79). This leads to the people making improvements to their livelihoods as they now earn greater incomes. It eventually assists in reducing the helplessness of the women that come from the high unemployment and poverty levels. Food protection, nutrition, health, human sanctuary and security from foreign attacks or occupations all ensure prosperity within a community (Walter 145). Women in the first world do enjoy all these privileges and these results in an increase in their productivity levels at their respective work places (Walter 132). In the Middle East, women forcefully wed partners they do not love since their customs allow for a partner to be chosen for them in exchange for property. This is, however, not the case in the first world where democratic principles are in use. In the first world, women often choose their partners for themselves with no interferences from their guardians or parents (Walter 89). To assist in solving the problems that the women in the Middle East region are facing, their requirements should be heard, and appropriate action to counter these problems should be put to use. I would propose that the countries in the first world who enjoy the fruits of democracy within their societies, actively promote the observance of women rights in this region irrespective of the repercussions of their actions. The people living in the region should have the will to change the oppressive laws against women since change first comes from within a person. Women should be given adequate support in their struggle for liberty and fairness within the society. Works Cited Riviera, Sheila. Women of the Middle East, 2003. New York, ABDO. Print. Keddie, Nickie. Women in the Middle East. Past and Present, 2007. London: Princeton University. Print. Moghadum, Valentine. Modernizing Women. Gender and Social Change in the Middle East, 2003. London: Lynn Reiner Publishers. Print Walter, Lynn. Women’s Rights: A Global View, 2001. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group Read More