Women and teaching

  • Women and teaching

Question

What are the fields which it is permissible for a woman to learn? Is it permissible for her to work as a lawyer and take on cases representing others as much as she is able to?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Women may learn about their religion and whatever will be of use to them in their lives as wives and mothers. Then if a woman is able and circumstances are suitable, she may learn other things too. There is no reason why she should not learn the profession of teaching, whether she teaches in women’s schools or in her own home.

A woman may also learn medicine and nursing, especially in the field of women’s diseases (gynaecology), so that she can be a women’s doctor or a women’s nurse, and women will not be forced to go to male doctors. It is permissible for a woman to represent another person in a case, hence it is permissible for her to be a lawyer, because lawyers represent defendants. However, the field of law nowadays has taken a wrong turning. Moreover, the lawyer needs to mix with the defendants and attend court, etc., and women are not allowed to do any of these things. So it is not appropriate for women to become lawyers so long as things remain as they are.

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