The role of marriage and faith in the lives of rural women is examined
The role of religion in women’s empowerment was among the topics considered at a panel discussion held during the 47th Commission on Population and Development.
Sponsored jointly by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women, the discussion examined three cutting-edge papers – soon to be published in Feminist Economics – that seek to inform broader policy debates relating to women, faith, and economics in relation to the post-2015 development agenda.
The three papers were: “Peace in the Household: Gender, Agency, and Villagers’ Measures of Marital Quality in Bangladesh,” by Fauzia Ahmed; “Muslim Women’s Agency Through Development Work: A Case Study of Hausa Women’s NGOs and CBOs in Kano, Nigeria” by Adryan Wallace; and “‘Just Like Prophet Mohammad Preached’: Labor, Piety, and Charity in Contemporary Turkey” by Damla Isik.
Among the panelists asked to comment on the papers was Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. Her remarks came in relation to Prof. Ahmed’s paper, which considered the importance of marital quality in development at the village level in Bangladesh.
Ms. Dugal said Prof. Ahmed’s study offers to policy makers a rich and nuanced picture of the importance of marriage and marital happiness in relation to what happens both inside and outside the home, and how it affects children, neighbors and the larger community.
“One of the studies cited in the paper reports that nearly half of women of childbearing age are beaten by their husbands,” said Ms. Dugal.
“We see the reflection of this reality in the women’s idea of marital equality described in terms of the ‘termination of domestic violence.’ “But what about an aspiration to a complete absence of violence?” Ms. Dugal asked.
Ms. Dugal also said that by highlighting the importance of marriage in the rural society, Prof. Ahmed’s study demonstrates the importance of including the voices and experiences of those living in poverty in any examination of development policies.
“By studying this group of women -- sharecropper Muslim women in Bangladesh -- their knowledge, their experiences, their aspirations and insights become visible and enrich our understanding of their lives, specifically their perspectives on marriage,” said Ms. Dugal.
Noting that many of the expectations the women have for marriage are shaped by their religious beliefs, Ms. Dugal added that policy makers must also strive to better understand people’s spiritual and moral lives in the formulation of development programs.
“A faith perspective provides a moral and ethical compass for policy formulation and implementation,” said Ms. Dugal. “It helps to shed light on challenging policy issues, such as how to address corruption; exploitation; various dynamics in family and community life; how to strive towards greater degrees of honesty, of cooperation, of respect, of service to the common good.”
The event was held on 11 April 2014 at the Orange Café in the UNFPA offices. A flyer describing the program, along with its draft agenda are attached.