The Balance between Woman Employment and Family Rights: An Analytical Study from an Islamic Educational Perspective

Abstract

This current research aims to analyze the issue of balancing women’s employment and family rights from an Islamic educational perspective by exploring the educational principles that regulate women’s work, identifying the areas of imbalance that arise when professional responsibilities conflict with their essential educational role within the family, and proposing educational recommendations that support working women and promote family stability. To achieve these objectives, the research adopted the descriptive-analytical method, which involves examining Islamic educational sources and contemporary studies related to the subject, analyzing their content, and deriving relevant implications. The study population consisted of classical and modern educational and religious literature addressing family and women’s work, while the sample included selected sources that most directly relate to the research topic. The results of the first research question indicated that Islamic educational principles regulate women’s participation in work within a framework based on complementarity between spouses, adherence to Islamic guidelines, and preservation of the mother’s essential educational functions within the family. Women’s work becomes positive and constructive when practiced in harmony with these principles, without undermining their role in caregiving and guidance. Regarding the second question, the findings showed that the absence of balance between work and family responsibilities leads to several educational consequences, including weakened daily supervision of children, reduced emotional and psychological stability, disrupted transmission of values within the family, and lower academic follow-up. Social consequences also emerged, such as weakened family communication, increased psychological pressure on the mother, widened emotional gaps within the family, and disrupted distribution of household roles—all of which threaten family stability and its social function. For the third question, the study highlighted a set of educational proposals that can help address these challenges. These include promoting a culture of partnership and shared responsibilities between spouses, organizing time according to clear educational priorities, maintaining continuous family communication to compensate for periods of absence, ensuring reliable educational alternatives during the mother’s working hours, and considering children’s developmental stages when choosing the nature of employment. The results also emphasized the importance of institutional support for flexible work arrangements that accommodate family needs, as well as strengthening educational awareness among women and families regarding the importance of balance. In light of these findings, the study recommends adopting genuine partnership within the family in raising children and managing household responsibilities, implementing guidance programs to help working women manage their time and fulfill their educational priorities, and encouraging institutions to adopt family-friendly policies such as flexible working hours and on-site childcare. The study also recommends raising societal awareness of the importance of achieving balance between work and family as a fundamental element of family stability and a core objective of Islamic education.