Impact of Women's Movements

The History of Women's Movements and the Impact it has on Today's Society

The History of Women's Movements and the Impact it has on Today's Society

Introduction

This essay discusses and evaluates the progress of women's organized movements in Muslim world as well as in Western world. The major aim of the following paragraphs is to demonstrate how much women has accomplished through an organized group of activities locally and internationally, and how have these organizations have affected today's society.

Discussion

The first women's movement occurred in Turkey during the Ottoman's empire Era around 1800s in an attempt to modernize Turkey. Debbie (2005) wrote: In the last decades of nineteenth and early twentieth century, the emancipation of women and women's education became issues that were much discussed and written about, particularly by young Turks and their reformists and national Sympathizers. She continues, in 1895, “Turkish women's weekly” began to be published emphasizing the need for women education. The feminist movement had also emphasized the need for literacy and emancipation in order to elevate Muslim society. Women movement had achieved significant success when the government in 1926 adopted a new civil code modeled on that of Neuchatel Switzerland. In 1930 women were given the right to vote in elections. Thus by 1930 Turkish women had acquired legal and civil status equal to that of women in most advanced European countries (Amma1, 2004).

In Egypt which was a Turkish colony, the movement had influenced Egyptian women, as well. In 1920 and 1930s Huda Sha'rawi and other group of women were very active seeking higher and free education for women (Tabak, 1981). They also campaigned for reforms in Islamic law- though unfavorably without any remarkable success (and to this day reforms in this area have been minimal). Sha'rawi's social reforms were based on the spirit of Q'uran, and she has not promoted reforms which do not have Islamic sanction. For example, Sha'rawi's claims for equality of education for girls have been based on the teachings of the Q'uran, so as her demands for restriction for the abolition of polygamy. Sha'rawi was advocating women's rights in light of Islam and never tried to separate her feminist activity from the principles of Muslim religion (Kerr, 1994).

In Iran, women movement occurred in 1940s and 50s. The Iranian Women League (Jamiyat Zanan Iran) was founded in 1942 by Mrs. Badrulmoluk Bamdad who also edited a women's magazine called Zan Emruz (Today's Women). In 1946, the National Council of Women was founded. Its primary objective was to “establish equality between men and women, prohibit polygamy, safeguard mothers' health, raise the educational standard of women, and teach child care” (Kerr, 1994). The women's Council, too, was most energetic in its campaign for political equality. It has a large fellowship which was mobilized whenever needed. The Council has represented Iranian women in many International congregations including Women and Peace Conference in Paris (1945) and the International Women's Assembly in New York (1946) (Shahida, 2000).

Women in Iran also began to establish professional and ...