The importance of choice

The Guardian released an article today about a manifesto for women who are paired with Isis fighters. Women should be in the home to serve their husbands and children. It supposedly talks against females being in the workplace being westernised and evil.

In some respects these men are worshipping the females in their lives by saving them from the harshness of the workplace or of the catcalling on the street. In some ways I can even begin to understand this way of thinking.

However and it is a big however, countless women and men haven’t fought for equality for decades for nothing. If a woman or man wants to stay home and look after the children then there should be no one judging them for doing so. On the other hand if the same woman or man wants to return to work following the birth of their children then we shouldn’t have a problem for this either. 

The issue with these manifestos is that is takes away choice. I can understand that a person will do everything they can to protect their husbands or wives from the issues of daily lives. When a client has been shouting at me at work my husband doesn’t like it but at no point would he say I shouldn’t do my job. I am a 21st century woman who wants to follow in the footsteps of countless women before her by trying to enact change.

Protection of your loved ones whilst ever harm will not be done to them cannot prevent them from their choices. 

This way of thinking is of course limited to a small number of people in the world compared to the overall population. Given the billions which exist of this planet I do doubt that this way of thinking will ever take hold on a large scale. 

I like my liberty and I like my choice. I am that person who when someone says don’t do it, I do it (apart from jumping from a building, I am not stupid). Rightly or wrongly we should protect our ability to walk, talk, work and be stupid for stupid’s sake. I am not a huge fan of religion but if people want to worship the grant banana in the sky they can, but don’t expect me to.