The feminist movement in the Middle East in comparison to the feminist movement in the U.S

The feminist movement in the United States began more than a century ago. Although it was not labeled as such until the late 1950s, a review of women’s history in the United States reveals that women have long fought for social, economic and political parity. While the roots of the feminist movement in the United States are relatively easy to trace, the same cannot be said of the feminist movement in the Middle East. Even though women in the Middle East are now seeking gender parity, it is evident that this movement toward equality is inextricably bound with a host of religious and social issues that make it difficult for the researcher to delineate clear feminist changes. Thus, even though some scholars have defensively argued that feminism is indeed taking hold in the Middle East, the context in which feminism is defined is not the same as it is in Western discourse.

[...] Clearly, when compared to the feminist movement in the United States, the feminist movement in the Middle East is not the same. In the United States, the process of feminism is one that is predicated upon the development of a larger society in which gender does not impact decision-making in any manner. In the Middle East however feminism is directly linked to policymaking as a central means to reduce the oppression of women by regulating the behavior of men. When placed in this context, many American scholars contend that this process is not one that is commensurate with the basic context of Western feminism. [...]

[...] Without the diligent work of hundreds of women, the feminist movement in Iran would not have been able to secure the rights and freedoms that women currently enjoy. While it may be fair to argue that women in Iran still have a long road ahead of them, it is not fair to argue that the feminist movement in Iran has been unsuccessful. Feminism in Turkey Much Like Iran, Turkey also has a long history of feminist development that can be traced back to the nineteenth century. [...]

[...] Through a careful analysis of what has been written about the feminist movement in each country it should be possible to demonstrate that while the feminist movement in these countries is not commensurate with the feminist movement in the West, there are notable benefits that can be achieved for women working toward this end. Feminism—An Overview In order to begin this investigation, a rudimentary understanding of the feminist movement in the United States must first be examined. Although various authors examining the development of feminism in the United States have defined the process differently, there are certain aspects of the movement that are typically seen as common in most of the literature. [...]