Egypt has long struggled with women’s rights. However, over the past decade, the country has seen a renewed movement dedicated to addressing gender-based inequities. Women have bravely started speaking out on numerous issues like sex crimes and discrimination in the workforce. This is certainly a significant step for women’s rights in the country. However, not all Egyptian women have joined these movements. Those who hold positions of power have expressed their support for the traditional patriarchal values and practices, including polygamy. Such beliefs reflect how deeply embedded these prejudiced values are in Egyptian society. As these courageous women stand up and demand positive change in their country, the international community must support their efforts.
A 2013 poll conducted by Thomson Reuters concluded that Egypt is the worst place to be a woman in the Arab world. This is likely due to the longstanding history of patriarchal and discriminatory practices that impact women’s cultural, social, economic, and professional lives. While many Egyptian women go onto higher education, the country’s female labor force participation rate is a dismal 22%, compared to the global average of around 47%. These figures reflect that although Egyptian women are educated, they are oppressed and forced to conform to traditional societal expectations like being homemakers instead of having a career. These societal values have been emulated in state-led practices and policies as well.
Although the Arab Spring revolution helped fuel the women’s rights movement in Egypt, it was also a time where numerous violations were committed against women. Female demonstrators suffered sexual assaults at the hands of Egyptian soldiers under the protection of military courts time and time again. Samira Ibrahim, a protestor, revealed that Egyptian soldiers detained and forced them to adhere to “virginity tests”. Additionally, women’s rights advocates have reported that for decades Egyptian security forces have kidnapped or sexually abused women to hold leverage against men in their families. Given that the north African nation still has a deep-rooted stigma relating to sexual abuse victims, many of these stories go untold, and women are often unable to receive the support and care they need. Those who speak out are often subject to rape or death threats and are shunned by their families, local media, and fellow citizens, with no method for recourse or accountability.
In 2010, Egypt’s state council overwhelmingly voted to prevent a female judge from serving on its benches. The decision had to be overturned by the supreme constitutional court, which deemed the ruling unconstitutional.
Since then, Egypt has seen some progress. During the 2015 parliamentary elections, 75 women were elected to Egypt’s unicameral parliament, mostly due to gender quotas, and 14 women were appointed by the president, resulting in women making up 14.9% of all representatives.
Despite this, challenges remain. In particular, the women’s rights movement is hindered by the fact that many women in the country are not supportive of its ideals. For example, in Egypt, female genital mutilation (FGM) continues to be a recurring practice. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the practice confers no health benefits and can result in severe consequences, including tetanus, increased risk of complications during childbirth, and even death. Even Egypt’s top Islamic authority has deemed the practice ‘un-Islamic’ and ‘barbaric’, banning it in 2008. Despite this change in rhetoric, the practice has seemingly moved underground. Earlier this year, a father tricked his three girls by telling them that a doctor was coming to vaccinate them against the coronavirus, but he came to conduct the FGM surgery.
The Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) conducted in the mid-2010s revealing that approximately 92% of married women in the country had undergone FGM, with most of them experiencing the procedure while between the age of nine and twelve. In 2015, the country’s health minister also stated that only 31% of these operations were performed by doctors, with most of them carried out by traditional midwives and “health barbers”. The EDHS outlined that more than half of married women in the country favor FGM, while only 30% say it should be banned, signifying how the practice has been ingrained in the Egyptian culture. While FGM is only one aspect of oppression, polygamy is another, but not all women believe that it should be eradicated.
In October, Wafaa Salaheddine, a candidate for a local election, sparked controversy among women’s rights advocates when she advocated for polygamy, which has long been considered a practice that is harmful and discriminatory against women, stating that men have the right to get married to more than one woman. Her perspectives have been echoed by other prominent female figures in the country, demonstrating just how deeply ingrained these patriarchal values are within Egyptian society and culture.
Today, there is significant dissonance between what rights activists perceive to be inequalities and what Egyptians believe are fundamental differences between men and women. Women in Egypt are increasingly advocating for greater equality and freedoms. But, given that women in positions of power tend not to support this movement, it will be an uphill battle. As the country struggles to eradicate its deeply rooted patriarchal tendencies, the international community must step in to support these efforts.
