Joella Ann S.

Pura
BSA - 5
Social Inequality and Social Change in Egypt

There are two kinds of societies in Egypt – closed stratification system and open stratification
system. In a closed system, people must remain in the social class into which they were born and no
amount of talent or effort can have any effect. On the other hand, open systems, parents are unable to
pass any advantage on to their children. All children have an equal chance to prosper or fail, based only
on their ability and hard work.

Egypt is a racially mixed society. Its people come from Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, and
Europe, but they have been mixing and intermarrying for thousands of years. Thus, Egyptians vary in their
skin colors and facial features. Having a light skin is a source of prestige. Skin color is only one of many
sources of prestige in Egypt, including gender, education, occupation, family background, and city origins.
While Egyptians are aware of skin color, they are not race-conscious. Race is not a master status in Egypt.
Skin tone does not determine a person’s access to jobs, education, or choice of spouse in any major way.

More than 90% of all Egyptians are Muslims. Coptic Christians are a religious minority group in
Egypt. They are a minority not just in numbers but in terms of their lack of power. Arabic-speaking Muslims
are the social majority in Egypt because they controlled the military, the government, and the laws even
if their numbers were small. The Muslim majority allowed Copts to keep their own communities and
religious institutions, given that they accepted their subordination to Muslim authority. However, there
were times Coptic institutions and property were attacked by the Muslim majority, even with their official
protection under Islamic law.

Some responsibility for economic stagnation also lies with the peculiar nature of Egyptian
socialism as it developed under Nasser. Efficiency and productivity were not important goals for the
government bureaucracies that ran the economy. Bureaucrats start work at nine and leave at two and
spend much of the time in between drinking tea and chatting. They are poorly paid, that is why many treat
their jobs as economic resources, opportunities to collect bribes or help relatives advance their fortunes.
Today, Egyptians are very frustrated with the corruption in government. The corruption has grown that it
is preventing the growth while government officials are too corrupt to change things.

The difference between urban families to rural families is the number of children. For urban
families, they are likely to have fewer children. Also, urban families see that educated children earn more
than those who are barely literate. If a family thinks it likely that they will be able to send their children to
school, then it pays to have fewer children so they will be able to afford to educate them. On the other
hand, a very poor family knows education is out of the question, so it is rational to have many children,
all of whom can work and bring in some income to help the family. Traditional Islamic values and norms
in the countryside encourage large families. The more children a woman has, especially sons, the more
prestige and influence she gains.