Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| ki |
| 09/05/00 at 06:52:46 |
| Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu So what do y'all think? Do women gain a better perspective over things and more confidence by working or do they expect too much from themselves by thinking that they will be able to handle a family and a career at the same time? Just something I have always wondered and thought I would ask all the sisters on this board their opinion. Hoping that Allah is keeping everyone in the best of Iman and health.... Wassalam |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| mahsou411 |
| 09/05/00 at 11:34:40 |
| As Salaam Alaikum. I think working outside the home is a valuable and wonderful experience for anybody, especially when you are working for Allah improving the Muslim community or the world at large (teaching, community centers, counseling , health care etc) BUT...I truly believe our first priority is to maintain our families and our husband's property so if working outside the home takes away from that in any way the sister should reduce her hours, adjust her schedule or not work at all. I do not agree with the concept of daycare, especilly for infants. I think it is cruel to leave your baby with a virtual stranger or even a family member unless it is a last resort and working is the only option finacially. I know a number of daycare workers (institutional and family daycare)who say it is so sad wen these infant and young toddlers want their mommies and they are not there to comfort them. The babies often call the workers "mama" and the parents are heartbroken. Our society does not value motherhood as Islam does so it is the norm to send a infant to daycare and head straight back to work to pursue your own interests. A daycare worker is in no way a substitute for a loving and committed parent. I believe Islam solves this problem my commanding the man to be the "breadwinner" so that the woman is free to stay at home with the childern until both parents feel it is ok for her to work without taking away from the children or the family unit as a whole. Allah knows best. -Aminah Mahsou |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| fari |
| 09/05/00 at 12:54:41 |
| Assalaam alaikum I think that it is beneficial for a muslim woman to work for a short period of time, maybe before she is married. But i really feel that the environment should be as 'halal' as possible, ie in terms of free mixing, and if this cannot be achieved then it is better to leave it. But as for having a family and working i think that it is probably better not to work at least while the children are young. As sister Aminah said motherhood is not valued in the 'west' but subhanallah i can not imagine that a Muslim woman would not find the job of raising her children to inshallah be pious Muslims as the most rewarding and fulfilling job of all. |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| Mona |
| 09/05/00 at 22:04:06 |
| Assalamu alaikum, I think this is a good topic to raise. The question is kinda of open-ended because it is not specified whose betterment exactly is sought when a woman works ;-) If we are asking if it is better for the woman's wellbeing to work, my answer is that there is not a right answer. Each woman (each human being really) is different and thus needs different levels of fullfilment. Some women will go nuts if all they do is stay home all day taking care of screaming kids and of the demands of the household simultaneously. A friend once told me that she felt her brain rusting from the continued stress and that she needed to do something outside the house to stay sane. Of course in this situation the responsibilities increase, but this is overweighed by the feeling of doing something they really want to do, as opposed to having to do it. Other women have more patience and perseverence and manage to even enjoy taking care of their families. They draw their content and sense of value from raising a family and taking care of the husband. A helpful thoughtful husband is key to the success of these women to find inner peace and tranquility despite their huge load of house duties. If the husbands', children' or community's betterment was the one intended by the question, then the answer would be different. I will leave it to someone else. |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| widad |
| 09/14/00 at 10:47:13 |
| slm Well,take it from a mother of four,alhamdulillah as soon as I got my B.S.I got married and I started getting kids,the neighbors kept saying: "oh widad,you have a degree and you are staying at home ?It's a pity". Alhamdulillah,I didn't have time to get bored as some would say,when the kids were sleeping I would make myself a dress(Burda pattern)or bake a batch of cookies.I had a lot of reading to catch up on in Islamic sciences,since I studied in Egypt and there was no real islamic curriculm .I spent a lot of time with my kids and played with .lego bricks,we drew together and read together,I had to collect nice stories from magazines to read to them before they went to bed. I even had to make a home-made slide from a couple of old shelves I had. I taught myself crochet from some books I bought from the States,and made a lot of little bonnets and mittens and vests for my kids. Whenthey grew up and went to school,a neighbor of mine and I started a sewing circle to teach other women sewing and crocheting.the following year they all made things for their kids. THen we had a teaching class for older women who couldn't read and we taught them to read and write and we helped them learn the easy verses from Quran. Then when I started to feel that I had too much free time I decided to go and learn something else,so I took a 'windows' course and then 'excel',then I had some French lessons...then tajweed........ Phew I'm exhausted(I hope I didn't bore you with all of this). THEN,when my youngest became old enough(13) and spent all the day in school,I got a good job offer,and I agreed right away,because I could afford to, finally.(OH,I do miss my morning leisurely coffee and my neighbors' get-together breakfasts!!) **I'll tell you one thing though I do get pangs of guilt sometimes when my daughter comes home 1/2 hour before me,or when I miss her school's mothers'committee,but I guess there is time for everything. I'll tell you what though,I did some notice my neighbors' kids whose mothers go out to work(they don't need to believe me),well these kids do have strong personalities,but you feel there is no warmth,and when they would come and stay over at my house to wait the return of their mothers you would feel aas if they envy my daughter... Alamdulillah Islam has taught us the right thing and has made the man responsible for his families food and shelter,so that the mother can be the childrens' shelter for they are the pillars of the Muslim Ummah. |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| mahsou411 |
| 09/14/00 at 12:23:29 |
| Alhumdulillah that is the PERFECT example of how rewarding and rich you life can be as a stay-at-home mom. Clearly the sister's children benefitted from her being there for them and being able to do activities and games with them. In the west you see allot of youngsters who are home alone for most of the afternoon and by the time their parents get home they are stressed or tired and can't give the kids the attention that the need. This is not always the case but it happens allot. Alhumdulillah this sister did many things not only for her children but the community as a whole. Insha'Allah after I get my teaching degree i will be able to get married and use the skills I learned in college at home with my kids and also out in the work place when the time is right. Allah knows best. -Aminah |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| Rehana |
| 01/04/02 at 07:07:52 |
| bsm [slm] [quote]...,a neighbor of mine and I started a sewing circle to teach other women sewing and crocheting.the following year they all made things for their kids. THen we had a teaching class for older women who couldn't read and we taught them to read and write and we helped them learn the easy verses from Quran.... Then when I started [/quote] Masha'Allah, I admire your sense of purpose and drive. It is my opinion that a women should work as it gives her a sense of financial security. This may sound shallow to many, I know, but consider the fact that although the Quran and Sunnah teach men and children to :- * provide for you family * and look after your parents their old age respectively This is not always REALITY. There will come a time when the ratio of male and female will be 1:50...what then????? Instead of our lades becoming "burdens" on society or turning to the un-Islamic social structures of the countries we reside in, we should have a trade or 2 up our sleeves. We should have something that we can all fall back on. In this day and age, we have the virtual office becoming a reality and home industries are burgeoning up all over the place. There are alternatives to the "traditional" manner in which one may earn a living. We should persue these, and encourage our Sisters to do so as well. [wlm] :-) |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| Saleema |
| 01/04/02 at 16:59:43 |
| assalamu alykum, Inshallah I will never work when my children are too young. :) No career mom for me. I want to be home when they come back from school. No i'm not married. [wlm] |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| se7en |
| 01/05/02 at 00:28:38 |
as salaamu alaykum, Check out [url=http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl/YaBB.pl?board=sisters&action=display&num=4274]The Working Muslima: Her Challenges and Responsibilities [/url] |
| Re: Is it better for women to work? |
|---|
| kiwi25 |
| 01/05/02 at 18:49:21 |
| salam, good topic :), personally i think it is a great benefit for the community if women worked as teachers, pediatrics, counslers, clothing designers.... also things like gynecology (becasue i noe a muslim man in this field and it makes me uncomfy.....) also things like salesperson, esp at the lengerie section, in my country men are the ones who are salespersons of lengerie, and that makes me soooooo uncomfy because he looks at your chest and then tries to sell you soemthing HE thinks will suit you.....GROSS!!!! same goes for clothes in general, i dont want to have to tell a man that i need an outfit that needs to big in this part of my body or small in that...... catching my drift ladies and gentlemen... something that came upin a conversation with me and the albaynians are a group of sisters open up a salon only for women.... it will include massaging, hair styles, makeup, nails... that way muslim women dont have to go to other places where the husbands of other women roam around the salon just as well just a though :) wasalam nouha:) |
| work..ewww.. |
|---|
| princess |
| 01/08/02 at 00:33:14 |
| walikumas'salaam warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu ;-D i work now :) i like it, cuz i know what my future husband is gonna go through :) although, it may seem like ppl who work, "sit all day and do nothing" that also can be exhusting ;) plz drive home..traffic..blah :) inshAllah, going through this myself, i'll appreciate my man more :) and have a better understanding of him, inshAllah :) now..if i could just get that man.....;) |
| Women work in AND out of Home |
|---|
| Rehana |
| 01/08/02 at 02:57:35 |
| [slm] Just thought I'd add, that women work whether they are in or out of the home :) The only difference I would guess is the level of adult interaction and being [u][color=red]PAID[/u][/color] for the task! [wlm] ;-D |
Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.The rest © Jannah.Org |