The return to the veil: Individual autonomy vs. social esteem

Social status is a multidimensional concept in which individual autonomy and societal esteem may exert contrary pulls. We apply this distinction between autonomy and esteem to studies of Egyptian women who have taken up the veil. Wearing the veil is seen as a coping strategy women use to gain or maintain societal esteemand a small measure of autonomy in a patriarchal society in which opportunities for autonomy are increasingly limited. As conservative movements gain strength in a range of social settings, this theoretical distinction and case analysis assume broader sociological significance.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Eastern Sociological Society meetings, Boston, March 1990.