Is Western Feminism Taking a Back Seat to Diversity?

Since the founding of the National Organization for Women in 1969 by Betty Friedman, author of the Feminist Mystique, women’s rights have progressed forward getting closer incrementally to the stated goal of equality of the sexes. In every area of life progress has been made. Some areas remain problematic. Equal pay for equal work still has not been achieved in the United States. Equal participation in religious leadership roles has also not been achieved in three of the oldest religions.

World wide, there remain deep-rooted inequalities based on poverty in developing nations. Specifically, in many Islamic countries, traditional and cultural subordination of women to men remains a hurdle towards the advancement of women.

The immigration from these countries to the United States and Western Europe has imported this cultural relationship of the sexes. In the name of diversity, Muslim groups have insisted in maintaining traditional head covering, full length robes or dresses, use of the burqa, the full head to toe covering of veils or cloth, and a secondary role for women subordinated to males of the family. This can extend as far as the sons having dominion over their mothers in the absence of the father. “Honor killings”, illegal in even most Muslim countries has been imported here to the USA as well. Honor killings are done by the males of a family against a female who has by some laxity or breech of Sharia chastity regulations dishonored the family within the Muslim community.

Some Muslim countries, including present day Saudi Arabia as well as Afghanistan under the Taliban forbid educating girls and women, keeping them further incapable of living independently or asserting any “rights” for themselves or their daughters. Many women are required to accept an arranged marriage.

Most demeaning and insidious is the practice known as female circumcision. Although becoming outlawed in most Muslim countries, it is still being practiced as part of a so-called cultural way of life for certain tribes or families. This practice eliminates any sensation for the women during intercourse.

There was a period when western style dress was almost universal for women in the USA. Any traditional dress was isolated to cultural festivals and parades. Even religious women in Catholic orders changed from full-length habits which also left exposed only their faces, to alternatives such as simple dresses and shortened veils.

Part of women’s liberation was eschewing the bra, wearing of pants, shortened shorts and skirts and other modes of dress which expressed some independence and freedom from the old feminine dress restrictions. Hair styles also changed.

Since the immigration of particularly Muslim but also other non-Western people into the US, advocates and leaders of these groups have insisted that these traditional customs and roles of particularly Muslim women are a not just a cultural expression but a religious one as well.

Subjugation of women to their male relatives in every day life has become accepted in America generally under a rubric of diversity. In many cases, the women have expressed a desire to be allowed to express this cultural behavior, even though it seems contrary to their own self-interest. It isn’t unusual to see in public areas such as shopping centers or public parks veiled women, with dresses or robes covering head to toe walking some space behind what are obviously their husbands and male children. More often than not, it is the women who are carrying the shopping bags or boxes, while the men converse with water or other drinks in their hands.

This author has been surprised at the lack of response from American and European born women, all of whom would never be party to such a role separation, to this obvious inequality between the sexes existing within Western countries. Although I have read from time to time that efforts have been made by medical and law enforcement personnel to address egregious problems such as so-called female circumcision, generic exhibitions of this cultural inequality go almost without notice or discussion.

Is this a sign of a more conservative feminist movement? Is there concern of causing a reaction from traditional Muslim communities thereby being accused of not honoring their culture in our diverse society? Is fear of imposing one culture’s norms and traditions on another so great to prevent us from confronting this generation’s inequality as we did in the past?

In todays society it is difficult if not impossible to assert that one culture, one way of living, is objectively superior to another. There was a need to relax some of what had been in the past, an almost eradication of some people’s heritage of history, language, customs and religious rituals.

Are there not some customs and traditions which are essentially American? Can we not expect that after decades of fighting for civil rights for some groups of minorities, that we should extend equality as a norm for all people, male or female, who live in the US? Why do we exclude Muslim communities from the expectation that their men and women will be treated equally in all aspects of society? Can we allow this inequality to exist because of the claim that it is a religious custom?

Other religions have adapted to changes in civil society. Most obvious are the Mormons who changed their requirements for polygamy and priesthood for African-American men. These were scripturally based customs. However, in order to comply with US laws outlawing polygamy and instituting civil rights for all Americans, they changed religious doctrine. It is time for Muslims and other like communities to alter some of their religiously based inequality norms for fairness to women everywhere, but in the US in particular.