This blunt question is the title of an article I wrote for August issue “i” Celebrating Jordan magazine. The idea came to me after literally dozens of conversations with young Jordanian women.
click here for my take on the answer
September 5, 2007
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A good read with a good intro. A Arab friend of mine is 33, intelligent, accomplished and beautiful…and doesn’t want anything to do with Arab men. She’s hunting for a Western man, of course. I just pray she finds the right man…period.
Comment by Dave — September 5, 2007 @ 7:28 pm
Dave, your friend is in such a difficult situation, and there are so many like her. You probably ‘know’ some of the ones I wrote about! Thanks for your kind words, (and visit) and I join you in praying for women in this position.
Comment by wendywrites — September 6, 2007 @ 4:38 am
great post ..as always i enjoyed reading it..
Comment by sam — September 18, 2007 @ 6:16 am
Sam, you are a great encouragement!! Thanks for hanging in there with the blog!
Comment by wendywrites — September 18, 2007 @ 7:51 am
Hi Wendy! Thanks for the blog, always so good.
Comment by alethea — September 26, 2007 @ 12:27 am
Alethea, thank you for continuing to visit!! Hope all is well on your coast of the world.
Comment by wendywrites — September 26, 2007 @ 4:13 am
Most men I know in the US also expect women who work outside of the home to fulfill most or all of the homemaking and child raising responsibilies. Some help out with the children, or the cooking, but most still feel this is woman’s work, except for the really dirty chores that require strength, like going to the dump, or taking out the garbage, or maintenancing the car.
Many men feel a need to keep a division between women’s and men’s work to provide clear definitions for femininity and masculinity. Any woman who considers searching for a job in the marketplace should first find out whether or not her husband would gladly help with the housework or children. Many discover after a long week at the office that the house is still a mess, the marriage is strained, the kids need attention, and their husband is nothing like So-and-so on the television program or the movie they just watched.
I believe Hollywood is dishonest by depicting emotional and sensitive men as the norm, when in real life, they are the same as they always have been, except maybe more confused about what constitutes manliness. However, American women in general have seemed to have swallowed this indoctrination whole. This is the kind of man they want: a muscular version of themselves.
I think if more women were concerned about the virtues of a man’s character, how well he treats his mother and sisters, how he can support a family, and if he is able to communicate honestly with her, she would find more happiness in a marriage, no matter what part of the world she lives in.
Comment by Lucia — October 20, 2007 @ 7:35 pm
Lucia, thanks for coming back and such a GREAT comment! Excellent points, especially the 3nd to last paragraph: women want a muscular version of themselves. Then they try and make men that way and EVERYONE is disappointed and discontent.
Comment by wendywrites — October 22, 2007 @ 9:12 am