Every woman is a working woman, By Dr Javed Jamil

The market forces have reduced work to the activities that directly or indirectly benefit them. In the current international system dominated by the market, only an activity that is supportive of the market interests is a desirable economic activity; other activities are either totally disregarded or are given minimal importance. This is why the work is now measured in terms of currency. I will give a few interesting examples. Suppose, a patient comes to a doctor friend and receives medical care worth 20 dollars. But the doctor obliges him by not taking any charges from him. In return, the patient, a Car mechanic, rectifies his car, an activity for which he would normally charge 20 dollars. But he obliges his doctor friend by not charging anything. Now, these activities will not find any place in the Gross Domestic Product of the country, as no currency has been exchanged. If on the other hand, the mechanic would have given the doctor 20 dollars and the doctor would have given the mechanic 20 dollars, an economic activity of 40 dollars would have been recorded. The effect of this definition has been that the work done by women within family even though it is a highly useful economic activity is not recognized as work.  If a woman serves food to her husband, she performs no or an insignificant economic activity but if she serves food to a customer in a hotel, this becomes a significant economic activity. If one sleeps in one’s own house, howsoever palatial it is, he does not perform a significant economic activity, but if he sleeps in a hotel, howsoever cheap it is, it again becomes a significant economic activity.  Women working in brothels are “Sex workers” but women working in homes are only housewives not house managers.  A working woman by definition is only a woman working outside homes in exchange of currency.

Need of the Hour

In order to save mankind particularly women from total ruin, we have to rethink our definitions and philosophies:

1.      We have to recognize — legally, socially, medically and economically the importance of family in the creation of a healthy, peaceful and prosperous society;

2.      We have to recognize that any work, which is useful for society is an economic activity, which should be measured in terms of the benefits it causes rather than in terms of exchange of currency’

3.      We have to define a work as “Dangerous” if it causes threat to health, family peace or social order; and Dangerous Economics should be effectively banned;

4.      We have to recognize the fact that those who have no spouses working must be given preference in jobs. The first preference should be given to widows, orphans, divorces, single women followed by unemployed men.

5.      A clear preference for certain professions should be shown for women seeking work outside homes like Medical, Teaching, Social work involving women and children;

6.  There should be new schemes and plans mooted that make it possible for women to work within the confines of their houses. When there can be outsourcing from one country to other countries, why not from companies to homes?
 
My argument is that it is not that women have started working now. Women have always been performing important socio-economic activities. The truth is that every woman is a working woman. Saying that certain women are “working” degrades other women making them useless beings.  But their role within the family is not recognized as work because that work does not directly benefit the market and does not involve an exchange of currency. The market-designed expulsion of women has resulted in huge problems because it was not intended to help the cause of mankind in general and womankind in particular; it was aimed at giving a boost to the market economy controlled by a very few. The result is that women have lost much more than what they have gained. Their security and peaceful existence and their natural rights and duties – all have been severely compromised. The whole mankind has suffered but the biggest sufferers have been women and children. The need of the time is to press the point that the security of the people particularly those of the vulnerable sections of society including women must be ensured. Women’s work should be recognized and organized not according to the demands of the market but according to the needs of individual, family and social peace.
 
Islam recognizes their work in family as a highly valuable work for which they must be duly compensated for, and gives them the right to work (outside) as well not to work. The modern man has very cleverly shifted some of his burden on the shoulders of women without giving them security. 
 
I have never tried to say or prove that women are more likely to fornicate. Men are surely more responsible for the rising promiscuity, prostitution, pornography, abortions, crimes against women, and for almost everything. I am also not with those who only want women to behave giving men the entire license to be licentious.

To sum up, I am not against women's working outside homes. My write-up highlights the practical consequences of a system that exploits women, and I want a system that allows women to work without compromising their security and without their being used in businesses that commercialize sex. Moreover, I feel that we have to understand that family peace is extremely important for the overall peace of society, and we must find ways to safeguard family system. There is also a strong need to recognize the work at home as important economic activity. For me, every woman is a working woman, whether she works at home or outside.
 
I wish there emerged some women leaders who can lead the women in a way that they work for the benefit of humankind as a whole, and are not guided by the mischievous men. 
 
·        Dr Javed Jamil is Executive Chairman, International Centre for Applied Islamics and Chief Editor, “Islam, Muslims & the World”; and is author of more than a dozen books