Women Inequality and Development in Middle East - Essay Example

Women Inequality and Development in Middle East Gender inequality and ceasing the woman development and rights, is the phenomena, which we observe in almost eighty percent countries of the world. In other words, we can say that women inequality is a global phenomenon. In many other countries including Middle Eastern countries, there is no gender equality in many fields of life. Women are not having their full and equal rights. They cannot enjoy a liberal life in their homeland even. The status of being a woman is oppressed badly in some states of the Middle East. There can be cultural or behavioral reasons behind this oppressive behavior. In order to enhance the growth and development in the whole country, female participation is very much necessary in almost every field. It is not good sign for any economy that only men are availing all the opportunities and there is no room for the women (AbuKhalil 2). However, we can see much advancement in people behavior regarding this inequality approach, now the women rights are considered everywhere but still women are oppressed in many states badly. There are many ethnic groups residing in the Middle Eastern countries but unluckily all of them have similar though patterns of male dominating society. Men feel a sense of satisfaction if they pressurize their female counter parts. That is the reason behind a suppressive behavior for the women of Middle East. The conservative thoughts of the people have narrow down the space for women to survive in their families, society and generally in the state. There are even some severe cases of sexual violence in some states of the Middle East. The violence is not only sexually abusive, moreover it also affect mental and behavioral aspect of any woman. This mental and physical torture may cause a depression in the females and thus their skills and potential capabilities will also be disturbed. The women should raise their voices against this brutal social and cultural practice of the Middle Eastern male dominant societies. The world will consider the women rights if women themselves stand against them. Many human right preserving organizations are playing their role for the implication of the true policies in the Middle Eastern countries. These policies should make education compulsory for every women living in the state. Education is necessary for the enlightening of the minds and the thought patterns. This would open up new doors of growth and development for the women in specific and for the whole society in general. In addition to that, education will help to polish the existing skills and potentials in the women. After that, these females can use their capabilities and skills to earn a living and thus taking a part in the duties of their counter parts. This is a good sign for any economy if the employment rate increases because of the education (Ludgate 2). Therefore, we can say that education is very necessary foe the women development. An educated woman can definitely take her part in the social and moral development of the society. The health care conditions are very much improved now in many Middle Eastern countries. On an average, a girl born in a Middle Eastern country has a life expectancy of 72 years. The ratio of maternal deaths during pregnancy and deliveries has also decreased to a normal number because of the improved and better medical and health care facilities for the women in these states. A decade before, these medical and health care conditions were not same. A large number of women died during delivery of their babies just because of the improper medical facilities and hospitals. Even in some severe cases, people even did not pay attention towards the females in case of any dieses. Therefore, average women life expectancy was also low at that time. If we talk about the economic dependency of the females then it is a fact that still in the 21st century more than fifty percent of the females are economically dependent on the men in their family and the society. Still there are some other families where women enjoy an equal and easy access to the opportunities as the men have. In many countries of the Middle Eastern State, we can witness females participating in many fields and professions of life. There are female pilots, doctors, teachers and many other professionals. Nevertheless, the unlucky situation is that these female professionals even face a domestic violence sometimes. This domestic violence is now become a part of cultural aspect. Men in these Middle Eastern societies are very much culturally influenced, they can give permission to get education and then serve the society but they may not leave their own intact behavior of a male dominant society (Press 1). In the past times, women had no right to vote in the elections. They had no participation in the political matters of the country. But now the situations are much improved in many countries. Females are given a voting right. They can use their citizenship right to choose the person of their own choice for the Government. In addition to this, women are now also a part of the electoral bodies and the committees. Therefore, we can say that now political grounds are very smooth for the women also. A decade before, there was a rule in some Middle Eastern countries that families took a guardianship authority for the complete family members. This guardianship was given to the male members of the family and after that, they have the whole and sole responsibility of decision making for their females also. Now the Government has taken a strong step to eliminate this rule of guardianship. Now the females have their own responsibility and authority to take decision about them. In this ways, their dependency on male partners has reduced to some extent. It is a fact that women rights are denied in the Middle Eastern countries. However, many other things are now revolutionized and the people are not following traditional ways. Nevertheless, in case of women treatment, all of the men are the same typical cultural creatures who do not give importance to the female counter part. They should understand the importance of females in the development of the family, society and the whole state. There is a small percentage of people who recognize and fully understand the role of women in the economic and social development. Therefore, they have fully supported their females to get proper education and then enter into different work places in order to serve the country with the help of their potential capabilities and skills. After some time in that work place, we can call their skills as their expertise, in the same ways the involvement of females will gradually develop the whole infrastructure, as the employment will increase. Even women should participate in the political matters also. There are many possible ways, which can be helpful in the betterment of the culture and the society of Middle Eastern countries. Education is one of the biggest tools, which can be used in order to create awareness among the society. Education for women should be compulsory so that they may know their rights and duties towards their family, society and the whole country. The opportunities of getting higher education should be equally available to both men and women in the Middle Eastern countries (Langendorf & Lohmann 2). The women should know how to utilize these opportunities and then making full use of their skills and talents for the good of their society. This is only possible if women are well educated and know their important role in the growth and development of the society. However, religion’s teachings are also very important but still culture has its own importance for shaping the people’s behavior in this regard. In case of Middle Eastern countries, the cultural values are dominating over the religious values and norms. The worst situation is that people even are not aware of their religious teachings and they are just following the cultural practices in their lives. They are doing anything just because of the reason that many other people are doing the same. Seeing the importance of the culture and its influences, Government and the State officials can utilize the power of culture in order to create awareness among people. There should be awareness programs for the whole community, in which they learn about the importance of female participation in every field so that they can also play their role in their family and the country development. Reference List: “A Look At the Rights of Women in Arab Countries”, Middle East News, 8 March 2014, Web 1 May 2014. AbuKhalil, As ‘ad “Women in The Middle East”, Islamic Research Foundation International, January 1 2012, Article 437, web 1st may 2014. Langendorf, Manuel & Lohmann, Ashley “The Middle East: Fighting for Women Rights”, Fair Observer, 29 May 2013, Web 1 May 2014. Ludgate, Kathleen “The Third Billion: The Potential Power of Women in the Work Place”, 4 December 2012, Web 1 May 2014. Read More