Don't ever submit to the people, these are just their ideas. In reality it doesn't exist and it doesn't have to be a norm. It's just an idea in these people's heads that these factors make up women's rights. Rights in their world is something else they made up. Always to submit to God. Remember our Prophet(SAW) told us life for us on this earth will be like a jail. No matter how many people object to our beliefs numbers won't determine who is right. People only look at the general view on women in Islam and don't take time to study it or understand its role in society and it's benefits. Of course we value their education even higher than ours. In Gaza many educated people are women and most employees in hospitals I've seen are women and they work in pharmacies and teach and else. But, we hold our women in a different standard but I honestly think Islam has been in decline and what I see in our nations is not a good thing brother. I'm not speaking of Arabic nations only, even in Gaza some people have started taking drugs. I don't like these things nor the Viagra drugs people take in Arabic nations. We need to work on our people. Urgently. And we shouldn't panic, the Prophet saw these things worse than we did and he was bent on purifying your society. It's natural, we shouldn't think of it as evil because God knows humans do wrong things, he wants to see our dedication to him and in the end these people become some of the best. They really do transform. It's just that we need to work it on it correctly and the new generation has a responsibility. Sometimes I feel the American Muslim community in some areas and better than Muslims overseas in some aspects and vice versa.
Levina, you need to look at the overall society, then you will begin to see how Islam works. Please take into consideration, our religion and society has been in decline. Look at our past leaders such as Umar Ibn Khattab. He used to sleep on a sheet even though he was a Caliph. Look at our Prophet(SAW), or his cousin Ali(RA). They made people love Islam and it had great appeal when we had less corruption and civil conflict.