Women and Work in Islam

In this study, female employment has been studied according to Islam. 'Employment' signifies a full-time job outside the home with fixed salary, and 'women' refers to three groups of married and unmarried women and those in charge of a family.As per Quranic verses, narration and traditions of the Infallibles, women's right to engage in legal occupations has been substantiated. The employment standards to be taken into consideration according to Islamic perspective are: consistency of job with the woman's characteristics, modest covering, chastity, unisexual environment, agreement of woman's work with her matrimonial obligations and motherhood duty. The appropriate model of female employment and indicators of development according to Islam are based on proper gender consideration, employment related opportunities, the economic importance of housework, preferring part-time job, respecting women's privacy in a work environment and providing necessary facilities for them, promoting rural jobs and finally paying an all-inclusive attention to Islamic values.