Opinion

Women’s work before and after marriage

September 26, 2018
Women’s work before 
and after marriage

Adel Khamis Al-Zahrani



Al-Madina newspaper

The least I can say here, with all due respect to the men and women of this society, is that this way of thinking and running the social system does not make sense in the era we live in.

IN a previous article I called for work to become a priority for each woman in the future and I received numerous reactions, ranging from explicit agreement to total disapproval.

This is what I have always expected. As long we hover around the fever of a civilized debate, there is nothing wrong in disagreeing or discussing the significant details.

The ones who disagreed have claimed that the idea puts restrictions on the choices of families in determining their fate. I have hinted more than once that my idea is based on my desire to see women who work in the Kingdom to become a norm, not an exception, depending on their individual circumstances. This will not be the case if there is no change in the social mentality to consider a woman’s job to be as important as a man’s job.

Many an example inevitably invalidates arguments such as a man must have his career while the woman must take care of her husband’s household. In our customs and traditions, parents usually expect a man who marries their daughter to work, and the mother of the groom expects the girl to be an expert cook. We can notice this scenario is repeated many times in marriages.

The least I can say here, with all due respect to the men and women of this society, is that this way of thinking and running the social system does not make sense in the era we live in.

Some of the people who objected have expressed their dissatisfaction with what they described as an open invitation to rebel against the customs and traditions of marriage, which is totally untrue.

In my article I argued that women’s financial contribution would establish their sense of responsibility and understanding with regard to the rights and duties in the marriage partnership. Women’s work should essentially lead to greater respect between genders (this applies equally to spouses, in-laws and colleagues).

Couples who work will tend to respect the privacy of one another, and will also sanctify the marriage relationship. In our society, I believe that women’s work is essential for the abolishment of gender segregation, which will lead to better understanding of each other’s nature.

There is the undeniable phenomenon of a number of young men and women who want to live in this post-modern age with a pre-modern mentality. In other words, some couples want to live in today’s circumstances with pre-modern values. This contradiction has caused many problems, including a high divorce rate.

The husband would want to travel or spend his time as much as he wants in cafes and clubs. He wants and seeks freedom in his life, but then he insists his wife stay at home without any ambitions or goals to achieve.

The wife too wants to live her life freely and as she wishes. She works in order to run her day-to-day matters in whatever manner that suits her, and at the same time she insist that her husband spend on their household. This kind of freedom without bearing the burdens of responsibility is not right. Women’s work is a social necessity, not entertainment, for her to become a real life partner, not just a wife.


September 26, 2018
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