The impact of strict Islamic family laws on women's career advancement in the U.S.

Your Voice Matters

!

Your Voice Matters !

In a world where equality and human rights dominate public discussion, issues such as the impact of strict Islamic family laws on women's career advancement in the U.S. remain largely overlooked.

An important characteristic within strict Islamic families is the absence of tolerance. It means total and complete submission to Allah in one's life (Qadoos & ŞİMŞEK, 2020). Religion is not solely observed as a practice but as a social institution shaping our culture (Sitzmann et al., 2021), forming societies and the future of the next generation.

The traditional interpretation of Sharia law overpowers all other reasoning and can be seen as a political question rather than a legal issue today (Patwari & Ali, 2020). Especially considering Islam, cultural laws are seen as statutory laws of lands such as Bangladesh (Patwari & Ali, 2020). Thus, many strict families not only enforce but do not tolerate any acts that result in such laws being miscarried.

“Never give nor take an excuse.”

— Florence Nightingale

In 2008, Yaser Abdel Said was convicted of capital murder in the deaths of his teen daughters, known as "Honor Killing" (Su., 2022). Although Yaser is seen as an extreme and rare case not representing the Islamic community, it begs the question of what makes one become such an extremist and at what point further education and studies may be needed while conservative voices continue to use arguments to justify discrimination against women (Geeta Rao Gupta et al.,2019).

This study aims to provide a qualitative perspective with a cross-cultural analysis to provide better policy implications and support social awareness and change. Moreover, much of the existing literature is limited, especially in examining strict family laws and how these affect future career outlooks. The lack of research on this issue has created a gap and a barrier.

---

References

Ali, F., & Jawad Syed. (2018). 'Good Muslim women' at work: An Islamic and postcolonial perspective on ethnic privilege. Journal of Management and Organization, 24(5)10.1017/jmo.2018.22

Su., Amanda (2022, August 9,). Yaser Said was found guilty of capital murder in 2008 shootings of teenage daughters Sarah and Amina. https://abcnews.go.com/. Retrieved August 26, 2023, from https://abcnews.go.com/US/yaser-said-guilty-of-capital-murder/story?id=88110253

Brown, L. R., Lao, T., & Michael-Chadwell, S. (2021). A Quantitative Correlational Study on Diversity Management, Career Planning, and Career Advancement for Women. The Journal of Business Diversity, 21(2), 143-169. 

Cherewick, M., Lebu, S., Su, C., Richards, L., Njau, P. F., & Dahl, R. E. (2021). Promoting gender equity in very young adolescents: targeting a window of opportunity for social emotional learning and identity development. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 2299. 10.1186/s12889-021-12278-3

Fangen, K. (2020). Gendered Images of us and Them in Anti-Islamic Facebook Groups. Politics, Religion & Ideology, 21(4), 451-468. 10.1080/21567689.2020.1851872

Geeta Rao Gupta, Oomman, N., Grown, C., Conn, K., Hawkes, S., Shawar, Y. R., Shiffman, J., Buse, K., Mehra, R., Bah, C. A., Heise, L., Greene, M. E., Weber, A. M., Heymann, J., Hay, K., Raj, A., Henry, S., Klugman, J., & Darmstadt, G. L. (2019). Gender equality and gender norms: framing the opportunities for health. The Lancet, 393(10190), 2550-2562. 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30651-8

Muda, T. F. M. T., Mohd, A., Hashim, N. M., Husin, S. N. M. S., & Yusoff, Z. M. (2019). THE ISLAMIC LEGAL REMEDY ON HUSBAND'S IMPRISONMENT. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, Suppl.Special Issue 1, 22, 1-5. 

Nuraniyah, N. (2018). Not Just Brainwashed: Understanding the Radicalization of Indonesian Female Supporters of the Islamic State. Terrorism and Political Violence, 30(6), 890-910. 10.1080/09546553.2018.1481269

Patwari, S., & Ali, A. N. M. A. (2020). Muslim Women's Right to Divorce and Gender Equality Issues in Bangladesh: A Proposal for Review of Current Laws. Journal of International Women's Studies, 21(6), 53-53B.

Priola, V., & Chaudhry, S. A. (2021). Unveiling Modest Femininities: Sexuality, Gender (In)equality and Gender Justice. British Journal of Management, 32(2), 306-321. 10.1111/1467-8551.12390

Qadoos, A., & ŞİMŞEK, M. (2020). Ways for Peaceful Society in Islamic Law. International Journal of Islamic Studies and Humanities, 3(1), 32-37. 10.26555/ijish.v3i1.1913

Sitzmann, T., Campbell, E. M., Sitzmann, T., & Campbell, E. M. (2021). The Hidden Cost of Prayer: Religiosity and the Gender Wage Gap. Academy of Management. 10.5465/AMJ.2019.1254