Does poverty play a role in the oppression of women?
Yes, in many ways. One example is the case of childhood marriages. The poorer the background, the worse the situation gets. Poverty is a terrible thing; you find impoverished parents allowing their daughters to be married off at 10, 12 years old, so they can get their hands on her dowry. Once the family is rid of the girls, they will have enough money to train the boys who will inherit the family property and family name. The idea is to keep the family name going. And one problem leads to another: In some cases, these girls get involved in early pregnancy. And of course early pregnancy has its own complications and setbacks. What other ways are women kept back from flourishing in our society? Well, one horrendous example of the oppression of women is genital mutilation. We find this embarrassing, and do not want to talk about it in polite society. However, there are still many areas where young girls are put through this horrific practice! Even before they know what is happening, they
