Islam and The Working Woman

If Islamic teachings are summarized and condensed, then Islam is only faith and ‘working’. In the Qur’ânic expressions, ‘working’ or ‘making efforts’ are mentioned as ‘amal’ (deed). The two words ‘faith’ (îmân) and ‘deed’ (‘amal) are mentioned several times by the Al Qur’an and are almost always said together in one meaning such as “al-ladzîna âmanû wa ‘amilû al-shalihât” (those that are faithful and perform good deeds), and other verses. Therefore ‘work’ is the existence of human life. In other words, man is a creature of ‘work’. One verse of the Qur’ân explains that man (mankind) will not receive anything except that for which he (mankind) himself has worked hard to achieve. It is no surprise then that one often hears that being in Heaven or Hell in the Hereafter depends on his or her deeds and doings throughout one’s life. Aspects of ‘work’ in Islam are then as broad as life itself and can be characterized physically, intellectually and spiritually. Nevertheless, obligations stressed by Islam are by working or making efforts that are performed in a good manner. To those that are faithful and work hard, God will provide them a good life (hayâtan thayyibah) and in the Hereafter they will meet God. “Those that wish to meet God therefore need to work hard and will not submit to any other God but Allah” (Q.S. al-Kahfi, 110).

However, ‘work’ in the traditional Indonesian sense, it seems, does not have a meaning as broad as outlined above. The word ‘deed’ when translated as ‘work’ is perhaps a little strange to the general Indonesian public, because ‘deed’ (amal) often only means ‘an action of benevolent service’, like giving alms, or contributing to social and religious activities or mankind, like “pundi amal SCTV” (SCTV’s public donation), “Yayasan Amal Bhakti Muslim Pancasila”, and others. Meanwhile, ‘work’ is one action of mankind that indeed earns a monetary outcome (wage or salary), materially and economically in order to maintain a life for oneself and for those people to which one is responsible. Types of work are certainly varied; trade, agriculture, mining, fishing, industry, services and the like. This explanation neglects social work, aid work and part time work from the category of ‘work’. This provokes implications that they do not need to receive a salary at all or should only receive a small salary or an unsuitable salary. A breast-feeding mother, raising and caring for children, and a wife’s household duties around the home are not considered ‘work’. All of these are often mentioned simply as ‘kindness’, ‘good deeds’ which will be rewarded in Heaven.

Women’s work

Many verses of the Qur’ân explain ‘work’ obligations that are applicable to both men and women. “When you’ve finished praying, quickly disperse yourselves around the earth’s surface, discover those gifts given to us from Allah and think often of Allah so that luck will find you” (Q.S. al Jumu’ah,10). God does not at all differentiate between the two genders. God also stresses the obligations required in order to create equality, and forbids any actions that are exploitive in nature toward other people. The Qur’ân urges Muslims as well to not restrain the rights of others (Q.S. [26]: 183). The Prophet once said: “labourers (men or women) have the right to obtain proper food and appropriate clothing and should not be burdened with duties that are beyond their capabilities”.

Differing to that conveyed by the Qur’ân, society’s culture often creates unfair and exploitive situation, especially toward people that are viewed as weak or that are deliberately weakened. In the context of pre-Islam Arabic culture (on the peninsula of Arabia), general conditions and situations existed whereby women were treated like objects and it was declared legal to exploit them for the sake of men: economically, socially, sexually and politically. It is due to this that women’s work is not only undervalued, but also suppressed. These types of conditions are very much in contradiction with Islamic principles of equality. The Qur’ân rejects this when saying: “wa li al-rijâl nashîb min ma iktasabû, wa li al-nisâ nashîb min-mâ iktasabna” (for men what they did, and for women what they did).

Domestic and Public Division/Spheres

A dominant opinion in our society (and maybe also in other societies) perceives that woman’s work must be limited to the domestic domain alone (at home), while men should remain in the public sphere. Some people even constrict women’s work to only the field of raising children and serving their husbands. There are no other obligations for a woman (wife) except for the function of reproduction, servitude toward her husband, raising children and attending to home duties. This is due to society’s opinion that considers that the disposition and nature of women was most definitely created by God, in order to carry out these kinds of duties that require emotional contact, tenderness, patience, meticulousness and other traits associated with the female gender. Women’s work outside the home is viewed as a character deviation. Because of this, the general public opinion perceive that the work efforts (and sweat and tears) of women are merely considered as ‘secondary’ and additional work. Aside from this, the result from women’s work (salary) does not become her own money, but rather can be legally taken by her husband to fulfil his own personal needs or to be used for the needs of the family.

These days our world has become more open to women working in the public sphere. Both married and unmarried women can enter and work at public sphere. Both the Qur’ân and Hadis do not (at all) forbid women to work in this way. In other words, Islam does not give boundaries for the places where women and men can and should work. Each respectively can and may work in or outside the home and in any suitable area, which is required in order to survive. Yet, the popular views and the general treatment to women are still discriminative. Moreover, employment for women is only confined to those sectors that are interrelated with the feminine characteristics and gender biased, for example those fields that require tenderness, patience, meticulousness, diligence and other traits, which are associated with and socialized as ‘women’s characteristics’. These forms of ‘female’ work are generally considered lower in status than other forms of work which are considered ‘masculine’ and reflected by way of intellectual intelligence, muscular strength, courage, rational thinking and the like. The result is that the wages that women receive are generally lower than the wages received by men. In Indonesia, women are forced to find work overseas (as migrant workers) and become labourers in other countries. This is a huge sacrifice on the part of women in order to help their family, (including their husbands), often with a price to pay or a gloomy outcome. Too often there are cases of female migrant workers that are quite upsetting and heartrending. The wages that these female migrant workers receive are not only lower that the wages received by men, but they are also often physical, psychologically and sexually exploited and abused.

The fact of these female labourers and working women depicts the unfair practices, as well oppression of human another human. This totally contravenes both Islamic principles and the principals of humanity. This violation can bring about more broaded social crisis, and can crush the future of mankind itself. The reality that there are women like this can continue to create problems and sucepability related to female reproductive health. Women with this double burden (in regard to reproductive health) may bear a generation that is susceptible and weak. An interesting point made by Umar bin Khattab about this, is “Don’t burden the female labourers outside the limits of their abilities in their efforts to maintain a livelihood. Because if you do that to them, they may act in a way that contradicts morals…the treatment of your employees should be with full fair consideration, and Allah will in turn show fair consideration to you. You are obliged to give them good (and halal) food” (Mâlik, Muwaththa, II/981).

These ethics actually apply not only in the power relations between men and women, but also in work employer and employee relations, superior and subordinate, and other power relations. Work ethics in Islam are based on brotherhood/sisterhood, fairness, and individual freedom in the context of social prosperity to seek mercy from God. Allah a‘lam.