Hi ladies of Hive,

wow! Super cool to be able to read about this from others, how they experience it and how they see it. I think everyone has an opinion about this kind of terrible news.

This weeks questions are very thought-provoking, and it's great to read about this in the Ladies of Hive community.

What is it all about?

On 13-Sep-2022, an Iranian woman (Mahsa Amini) was arrested for wearing her headscarf too loosely, which allowed a little of her hair to be visible. Witnesses attest that she was severely beaten while in police custody. At one point, she collapsed, but it was two hours later before police transported her to a hospital where it was noted that she had lapsed into a coma. The police claim she had a heart attack, but there were bruises on her body, head, and face. She died three days later, never awaking from her coma. And all this was because she was careless to allow a few strands of hair to show.

1️⃣ What do you think of this kind of news? Do you think you could ever live in such a conservative society? Would you even consider visiting a country with such laws? How can we help such women who cannot afford to flee to a safe place?

Or

2️⃣ Some LadiesOfHive members live in countries with similar laws. Are you one of them? If so, how do you deal with the constant hatred and oppression of women? Or do you like to follow strict rules? Do you think your country's views on women could be improved, and how? Would you run to a safe place if you could?

My thoughts

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels:

Strong opinion, be warned!

What I personally think of it, terrible for those women, to be punished for that reason, to be tortured to death. Personally, I believe that every woman, wherever she lives in the world, should have the right to wear whatever she wants and finds beautiful. To have education, work, and the freedom to be who she wants to be! 💖

Even in the Western culture is inequality

Women represent half of the world's population, whether men like it or not! LOL. And that half is just as entitled to what the male half has had for decades. No one should be oppressed, not because of gender or religion. Fortunately, my cradle was in a country where we do have that freedom, where women receive education, where we can be who we want to be and where certain rights are also laid down in law for women. And don't get me wrong. Even in our Western culture, there is still inequality. Consider the fact that women are often paid less for the same job as men. Yet, as far as I know, it is still better organized here than in many other countries. Unfortunately, in many countries nothing is regulated for women and an interpretation of a belief can lead to many women in some countries not having any of these freedoms. Whether it is a distorted picture I dare not say, and I must also be careful with statements, but as far as I know these are mainly Islamic countries where women are oppressed. And in my opinion, they only have one right there, and that is the countertop in the kitchen.

It's an abstract idea for me

I dare not say whether I could live in such a country. It's an abstract idea for me because I grew up completely different. I was not raised in that culture. With the way I am now, after years of living according to our culture I say, "NO I couldn't live in these kind of countries". I could go on vacation there, sure! And would I then be able to adapt myself to the customs of that country for the time that I was a guest in that country? Absolutely YES! But after a few weeks I would also be very happy to go back to my own culture. Because I would find it too oppressive to go through life as an invisible person with no rights, and where my partner should be my spokesperson. Whether this is just my distorted image, or whether this is reality, I don't know. This is the picture presented to us. And I cannot appreciate that image, and that is not the image I would like to aspire to for my own life.

I don't feel like ...

Like I said, I could visit such a country, I could! But, to be honest with you, I don't really feel like doing that. In my opinion a society where women have to hide because a "religion" obliges them to do so is not a fully fledged society. Yes, I know opinions are very divided on that, but this is just my opinion.

I try to stay respectful

I also have to say that I find it difficult to fully express my opinion on this. This is because I feel like I have to be very careful with my words. I have a strong opinion of myself about this, and I also know that many people do not appreciate this. In the past, I have burned my fingers on this on Social Media (Facebook). I've been verbally abused for expressing my opinion, while always trying to be respectful when I expressed my opinion, and I don't want this to happen again here on Hive. So while this is definitely a topic I have an opinion on, I'm holding back a little more. It is a subject that is sensitive to many people. To avoid unknowingly stepping on someone's toes, I try to temper my words.

Religion and state separated

What can we do to improve women's rights around the world? I think it is a good thing that large countries, such as America, but also Europe, continue to draw attention to this from bodies such as the UN. Also, that human rights organizations continue to draw attention to this and that certain countries have already laid this down in law. I think religion and state should be separate everywhere in the world. So no society based on rules that a particular religion would like to see, but just fundamental rights based on humanitarian considerations, equal rights for all human, no matter gender. And yes, we're a long way from that.

I keep hoping

Will it ever be the case everywhere that women can be who they want to be, wear what they want and have just as many rights and duties as men??? I keep hoping for this scenario.💕💖

Western Culture

As you may know, I live in a country with Western culture. To be precise in the Netherlands. And here the laws are indeed made on the basis of gender equality, but don't make the mistake of thinking that it is always implemented that way. Improvements are also possible here. What to think, for example, of men and women who perform the same job, whereby the man still receives a significantly higher salary than the woman. It is strange that when you talk about equality between men and women that men still get a higher salary than women.

Many women also notice this when applying for jobs. Men are still often preferred over women. And this is usually because an employer often assumes that a woman will drop out during pregnancy, and that she wants to work part-time after giving birth. Now I can understand this somewhat, because this is of course also a situation for an employer that he has to take into account. But when you talk about absolute equality, this shouldn't be a reason to choose a man over a woman. Assuming they both have the same qualifications.

Outside of work

You still notice these kinds of differences in daily life. I am blessed to have a partner who also rolls up their sleeves at home when needed. But I see in other relationships around me that it is frequently mainly required of the woman to keep up with the household. Men typically don't think it's necessary to do anything about it, the woman is supposed to have a job because she has to help provide income. But in addition to her job, she also has to run a household, and often take care of the children and pets. It is therefore logical that many women work part-time. Say for yourself, how should a woman have a full-time job, and children and pets and household. A woman also has no more than 24 hours in a day, of which she also has to sleep on average about six to eight hours.

We also require a change of mindset

So, as much as people like to talk about equality, even in Western culture it is sometimes lacking. Women are allowed a lot here, for sure! We are allowed to study, work, etc. But the mindset of many men still makes it impossible for us to be treated as fully equal. And how can that be changed? I don't know. Everyone has access to education here, and I think there is an important role for all parents as well. Religion also plays a role in this kind of education, in my opinion. If everyone continues to inculcate gender equality, if everyone insists on gender equality, then this will probably get a little better in future generations.

I could say a lot more, but I have to admit that I don't feel 'established' enough in the community to express my opinion without reservation. In addition, I also have the feeling that I have to learn more about blogging myself before I dare to write about such a sensitive subject without any restrictions from myself. I feel that I need to learn better how to express myself in a way that is not offending to anyone. And to be honest, that's hard for me, but I'm trying my best.

So while I find this a very interesting topic, it is also one where I often say too much too quickly. I want to avoid that. And that's why I'll leave it at this. I look forward to reading the other Ladies' entries.