Jasmine grew up in a place where women had no rights. In general, they were not supposed to be educated, especially in English, and they were to basically have no say in their life. Women and girls were expected to sit at home doing housework while the men went out and worked. Their father chose their husband, and there was absolutely no love involved.
To me this seems to be a huge problem, and it has not disappeared nor is it restricted solely to India. The United States recently attacked Afghanistan and removed the Taliban from rule there. While the Taliban, a group of radical Muslims had power women had absolutely no rights. Women had to wear certain clothes that covered their entire bodies except their eyes, they were not allowed to be educated, and they were not allowed to have any opinions. Although the Taliban are no longer the official rulers of Afghanistan, there is still a large amount of fear of them spread among Afghani citizens. Slowly, women in Afghanistan are beginning to toe the line. There are girls" schools starting up, and some women are beginning to shed their traditional garb. However, these women are still the vast minority, and I do not see this changing any time soon. Right now the United States Government monitors the rule in Afghanistan, however in the very near future it is easy to see very right wing people getting power again. Unless something is done soon, the situation will never be corrected, and Afghani women will be forever oppressed. .
Living in the United States, where the feminist movement is strong, it is sometimes easy to forget that women are still being oppressed in other places around the world. Accomplishments here, like women's right to vote, which we got over 100 years ago, are still nonexistent in Afghanistan. Something must be done about this. Not all women can run away to America like Jasmine did, not all women are so lucky to find a supportive husband- and until there is a more viable solution, this problem will not disappear.