Oppression

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   OPPRESSION

What are, in your opinion, the most extreme examples of the oppression of women throughout history and continuing today.

I ask only that you not include times of war or conflict and focus only on imposed, societal oppression.

I have two examples that are actually quite recent, the first - in fact - is ongoing.

Mormon Polygamists in the United States have an entire culture of their
own - they secure themselves away from society as a whole and have been
outcasted by the official Mormon church.

In their society, women are married when they are young girls - often
before they are legally old enough to marry. Men will have many wives
and dozens of children, focusing mainly on religious endeavors while
women are expected to do all of the manual work and labor.

Their religious beliefs dictate that any man who listens to the leader
and follow's the churches teachings will go to heaven, while women must
be invited by their husbands, so only those who submit fully and
satisfy their husbands in every situation will be saved.

Another example is, of course, Taliban Afghanistan. Women needed their
husband's permission to do anything outside the home and required a
male escort while in public. They were also required to wear burqhas,
which covered the entire body and screened the entire face.

Women were not permitted to go to school nor to participate, in any
capacity, in the society as a whole. What's worse - Afghanistan was not
like this before the Soviets attempted to conquer it, and many of these
oppressed women were former doctors, lawyers, and so on.