“Hijab is always forced on women.”
Short answer
Most Muslim women who wear hijab, including in Western countries, describe it as a freely made personal choice. Forced hijab is real in some families and under some state laws — but it isn't the typical experience of women who wear it.
Surveys and research on Muslim women in Western countries consistently find the majority who wear hijab describe it as a personal choice — often made as adults, sometimes against the preference of their own less religious or non-Muslim families.
That doesn’t mean coercion never happens. State-enforced hijab (as in Iran) and family or community pressure are real problems, criticized directly by many Muslim scholars on the Islamic principle that sincere worship cannot be coerced.
Both things are true at once: hijab is a genuine, common, freely chosen practice for most women who wear it, and real coercion exists in specific, documented contexts that deserve direct criticism.
Full discussion: Is Hijab Oppression?
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