Discrimination Against Women in the Developing Countries: a Comparative Study
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International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 2, No. 3, May 2012 Discrimination against Women in the Developing Countries: A Comparative Study A. M. Sultana and Nor Erlina Bt Mohd Zulkefli two developing countries namely, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Abstract—The aim of the article is to examine discrimination Both countries are Muslim and practice same culture in many against women in the developing countries. Discriminations aspects. If we look in contemporary Bangladesh, the against women are common in various developing countries. socio-cultural values and norms has a strong influence on the The article focuses gender discrimination against women within the household which is well documented. The article argued issue of women discriminations. Various studies show that in that the socio-cultural values and norms have a strong influence Bangladesh women or girl are everyday targets of on the issue of women discriminations. There are various forms discrimination within their household [2-4]. There are of socio-cultural practice that create discrimination between various forms of discrimination links in the socio-cultural men and women especially in rural society. The study is a and ideological relations between men and women in the comparative study based on primary data collected in selected rural society. It describes some of the common situation in study areas. Two developing countries namely Bangladesh and Malaysia have been selected as the study area. The study was which women discriminate from birth to adulthood. Due to largely qualitative, using ethnographic approaches. As the part biological differences women are discriminated by the of the community, researcher personal experience has been society of being female. Women’s discriminations are added from Bangladesh perspective. In Bangladesh, two reinforced by various socio-cultural norms which creates villages namely Mashimpur and Mohiskota under Dinajpur women’s discrimination in the household. District have been selected as the study area. The researcher Due to cultural practice, from a very young age girls learn was tailored in a way to capture the socio-cultural influence on discriminations against women based on their personal domestic skills and begin to take on domestic duties, such as experience. Secondly, discriminations against women in their cooking, sewing, washing, cleaning, and child caring and daily lives were examined through interviews and participation supplementing the household income with cottage crafts. In observation from Malaysian perspective. The study was rural areas, it is a strong belief that a son should be educated conducted in Malay community namely in Gugusan Manjoi. because, unlike a daughter who after her marriage serves Finally, some recommendations were made to establish the another family, a son will need to support his aged parents. equal right for women was highlighted. For such beliefs, most families prepare girls for marriage and Index Terms—community, discrimination, traditional girls are taught to be obedient and quiet, to respect the ideology, non-traditional ideology, socio-cultural norms. leading roles played by males and to take on the responsibility for bearing and rearing children, and this responsibility not only hinders them in attending school but I. INTRODUCTION also precludes them from external jobs [5sultana]. Daughter The main aim of this article is to discuss discrimination disadvantage may be due in the part of social norms that against women in the developing countries. Women daughters move away from their parents upon marriage. discrimination can be considered as unequal treatment of a Therefore, daughters are considered as the non-permanent person based on solely on that person sex. Discrimination family member of the family while sons are considered as the against women has been an ongoing concern for the past asset of the family. This attitude may bring discrimination years. It hasn’t been resolved up to the present times. In many against women in family. societies, especially in the patriarchal societies, men are Similarly, in Malaysia, Malay women face discrimination considered as the authority of the family. Women’s role is based on their socio cultural belief or custom (adat). ‘Adat’, only for bearing child and housekeeping. Patriarchy can be Due to cultural belief, sons are treated as an asset, thus they defined as the “rule of the father” but in social terms, refers to enjoy greater freedom than girls. From this belief system, the the system of male dominance i.e. where children name is position of primary authority in family falls on the man. The traced through the father; where the ownership, control and father is the head of the household. Women manage the inheritance of all assets are in the hands of men [1]. Therefore, household but the husband regarded as the primary authority. patriarchy establishes discrimination against women in However, in Malaysia, although there is no discrimination various aspects. between men and women in constitution, gender inequalities The article focuses discrimination against women at the have often been manifested by the visible forms of household level. Discrimination against women is often differentiation in terms of economic, political and social viewed at household level. Due to patriarchal ideology and position relative to men; opportunities and access to socio-cultural practice parents give priority on son in every resources; and the differential impact of various development aspect. The article examines discrimination against women in programs on gender division of labor [6-10]. In education government of Malaysia has given equal opportunity Manuscript received March 7, 2012; revised April 6, 2012 between men and women, gender differences can be Authors are with the Sultan Idris University of Education, Dept. of Social observed in the field of education. A higher proportion of Studies and Citizenship, Faculty of Human Sciences, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia. (e-mail: [email protected]). male students preferred technical field while female students 256 International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 2, No. 3, May 2012 are heavily represented in management and arts field. This contribution or any social support from son in her old age. situation indicates gender based inequality and But normally, Bangladesh has a high son preference as sons discrimination are in the selection of the area of the study. contribute more than daughters to family income, provide Therefore, the article attempts to determine in what extent adequate support in old age to their parents, impose less of a gender based inequality and discrimination against women financial burden and carry forward the family name. occur in the two selected developing countries. Daughters are often considered as an economic liability due to the dowry system as well as the high cost of weddings. Once daughter married, she becomes physically as well as psychologically isolated from her natal home. They are II. OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY seldom seen as making significant contributions to their natal The objectives of this article are: firstly, the article family [12]. discusses discrimination against women in the two In education, girls receive lower education opportunity developing countries namely Bangladesh and Malaysia. than boys. In the very early age, a girl learns to expect Secondly, the article examines parents’ perception on endurance and modesty. For such social cultural beliefs, a discriminations against women in rural communities. The woman always tries to make up an ideal wife and a good article is a comparative study between two developing mother. A girl is taught to sacrifice her individual identity as countries namely Bangladesh and Malaysia. From a good wife and a mother [4]. Hence, in education, a son is Bangladesh perspective, as the member of the community always preferred over a daughter for schooling. It is not felt principal researchers’ personal experience has been added for necessary for Bangladeshi girls to receive formal education. deeper understanding. Parents’ perceptions were examined Education for girls is often considered irrelevant. Most of through interview. Both qualitative and quantitative methods parents allow their daughters learning and reciting the Quran were employed in this article. The research was conducted in [5]. In rural areas, a girl is less likely than her brothers to Gugusan Manjoi which is situated in Ipoh in Malaysia. A attend primary school. In some cases, where a decision has to total of 50 respondents were interviewed. Parents’ be made about which children to send to school, parents perceptions were measured using on the issue 7 items on a always decide to invest in their son’s education rather than four-point Likert format. In this format, the responses agree, their daughters. So the girls are given fewer opportunities strongly agree, disagree and strongly disagree were presented than the boy in every regard. with the values of 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Moreover, In order to collect qualitative information depth interviews were conducted with a small number of respondents. IV. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN: MALAYSIA PERSPECTIVE The article examines respondent’s perception on III. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN: BANGLADESH discrimination against women by using Likert scale. The PERSPECTIVE respondent’s values and beliefs are important factors in In this section, everyday forms of women’s determining whether