Woman Between Islam and Western Society
4. The Problems Facing Modern Civilization
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woman becomes pregnant and bears a child, she is
thereby rendered incapable of tackling jobs outside
her own home for a considerable period of time. To
remove the disadvantages implied for the woman, a
law was passed granting special paid leave to
pregnant women and nursing mothers. This was
the kind of law which legislators, who were far
removed from the situation, could pass with no
discomfort
to
themselves,
but
whose
implementation could not be afforded by those who
have to come to grips with the everyday running of
a factory or management of an office. This is a
situation which has sparked off an unending
controversy.
The government so far is supporting women in this
conflict in order to maintain the superiority of its
cultural principle. But taking sides against reality is
hardly practicable. If the government required the
managements of all offices and factories to give four
months paid leave to women, how many
establishments would be able to afford what would
seem to them an unwarranted extravagance?
Finding the cost of such a cultural luxury
prohibitive, many employers would simply not hire
