Islamic Model of Financial Security for Housewives

The role of women in the family is identified as one of the significant issues in Islamic lifestyle. Despite the remarkable importance of the role of housewives in Islam, the inadequacy of economic support for housewives in the legal system of our country along with the influence of Western lifestyle, resulted in the employment of women and the diminution of their role in the family. This alteration turned out to be a social dilemma for the Iranian society. In Islam, there are constructions and strategies with the function of supplying economic security of women in the family. Alimony, Mahr and emolument are recognized as the most important ones. However, neither the limits nor the systematic status of these constructions and strategies are delineated for accomplishing the goals of supporting married women. This study which is based on a descriptive-analytical method examines the arguments and opinions expressed in jurisprudence regarding these three constructions along with their related conditions and criteria. It also seeks to propose a model for supporting the economic security of married women by extracting it from Islam based on applying narrations and depicting an agreeable role for women in an Islamic family. Although housekeeping and family planning are specified as primary roles for women, their housekeeping activity has economic value. According to this research, in Shiite jurisprudence, women’s economic security in two parts of the common needs is fulfilled through alimony and in other economic needs, it is fulfilled via emolument whereas Mahris not canonized with the aim of fulfilling financial support of women. Similarly, part of women’s financial security along with legal guarantees relies noticeably on moral obligations. Regarding conventional needs, this model is based on alimony and in other needs it requires men’s moral commitments.