I realise that maybe I have been slightly one-sided throughout my postings, emphasising how much I think people in the west misunderstand the veil in it’s cultural context in the developing world. There is no getting away from the fact that symbolically, it can be interpreted as extremely oppressive, and suggests a second class status of those who wear it. The fact that burkas cover the face apart from the eyes does represent the lack of voice that many women have while wearing them, and therefore connotations of forced submissiveness and oppression. It also presents a clear visual statement that women are considered homogeneous, defined by their gender and given a clear role within the family and community that they are expected to play and not exceed.

There is the connotations of ownership as well, when it comes to enforced religious face coverings (I want to make it clear that I am talking about situations where women are being forced to wear face coverings, by her community or family, not women that make the choice themselves). It presents a situation where a women dresses specifically so only her husband can see her, therefore suggesting she belongs to him, and how she lives her life is dictated by her husband or fathers wishes.This factor does present massive problems in terms of domestic abuse and FGM, as if it is culturally accepted that husbands and fathers have control over their wives and daughters bodies, the females are put in an extremely vulnerable position, as they may not feel as what they want in terms of their bodies is important. 

I think this does present a problem in terms of gender and development, as these women must believe that they are not as important as their husbands and father, as it is how they have been brought up and therefore the norms that shape their lives. This is an obstacle as I believe it does take some self-belief and self-confidence in order to achieve a better standard of living, through education and learning. This does combat the argument that suggests veils and Islamic face-coverings are too heavily emphasised in the West, when there are bigger problems that women face that should be focused on, because it highlights the psychological impact of the veil, and therefore the mentality of women that are being forced to wear it. 

I do realise that I have a very western view of the veil, and I have made some sweeping generalisations that may not necessarily be the case, however I think that this does represent some very important points when considering the veil in terms of gender and development, and highlights the importance of this as a subject.