When my youngest sister was dating an Iranian guy, she insisted that chador was not restrictive, that women liked it because they did not have to be slaves to fashion. Not that she wore chador in her life.
In traditional African cultures that practice genital mutilation, it's the mothers who get it done, otherwise the daughter will never be marriageable.
So, when women tell me how wonderful it is to live a traditional restricted life, I can't help but be skeptical.
Yes, it's true that Hasidic women have more opportunities in America. That's a function of America, not Hasidism, they don't live such unrestricted lives in other countries. Working behind the counter in a family store isn't freedom of employment, either, by my standards.
Similarly, Muslim women in the US, Canada, and Western Europe have many freedoms they don't have in the Middle East. I've posted before about my Muslim client who is a pharmacist and wears short tight skirts and sleeveless blouses. |
