Women of Choice

This research has two primary, interwoven themes - Muslim women and veiling, and discriminations experienced by Muslim women as a result of their veiling. The study explored the experiences of a small sample of veiled Muslim women in New Zealand in order to better understand the context around their experiences. By understanding these contexts, it is possible to identify themes in which discrimination occurs, determine how widespread incidents are, and to better understand the origins and nature of the types of discrimination which occur, such as whether it is mostly overt or covert in nature. From this research we also gain a better understanding about the generation and maintenance of ideological beliefs held by people who discriminate against Muslim women. In addition, this research explored why Muslim women choose to wear a head covering, despite many of their experiences. The veil has multiple meanings for Muslim women, which span across several areas of their life, and which are also discussed in this research. Many of the findings here can also be applied to other areas of society in which discrimination occurs.