Modern Egyptian Women in Culture &

Literature
Egyptian Women
Are you interested in understanding the state of Egypt today? Or perhaps you
are thinking about the roles and rights of women worldwide. Either way,
understanding the context in which modern Egyptian women live is an
important part of having a grasp on life in Egypt overall.

Women have played a complex role in the history of Egypt. At times, they have
faced significant oppression, but they have also held positions of power, and
their overall role has changed significantly over the course of history. This
lesson discusses some of the issues facing modern Egyptian women in culture
and literature.

Pressures on Modern Egyptian Women

It is important to remember, of course, that no two modern Egyptian women
are exactly the same. The issues they face may vary depending on whether
they live in rural or urban areas, their socioeconomic status, and the
education levels of their families. But, here are a few pressures on women
found in modern day Egypt:

 In general, approximately 90% of women in Egypt wear veils and are

segregated from men at school, work, and in recreation. They do have
the right to vote, and they are protected by law from discrimination in
the workforce.
 Egyptian women are highly likely to be the heads of their households,
which has become increasingly true as more men have left the country.
According to CAPMS, nearly 1/5th of all households are headed by
women.
 Women are less literate than men overall in the country, especially in
rural areas. About 82% of Egyptian men are literate, while only 65% of
women are.
 Sexual violence, honor killings, and forced marriages are still thought to
be fairly common.

Women in the Arab Spring

In spite of these many pressures, women have played a significant role in
many liberation movements in Egypt. Specifically, women played an important
role during the Arab Spring, a series of democratic protests that worked to
overthrow the longtime rule of Hosni Mubarak.

Activist Asmaa Mahfouz' video urging others to join the protests, for instance,
went viral and probably helped to set off the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
Women joined these protests not only to overthrow Hosni Mubarak for broader
political reasons, but to fight for women's liberation and work toward
feminism in Egypt.

Other Egyptian women protesters have been punished for their activism, as
well. Nawal El Saadawi had to leave Egypt because she was being persecuted
for her protests against mistreatment of women by Islamists, and this was
subsequent to spending time in prison. Fatima Naoot was also jailed for her
writing that protested against the oppression of Islam.

Actually, many women in Egypt have noted that they were mistreated and
even violently abused by male leaders in Egypt. Activist Dalia Ziada collected
data showing that few Egyptians would support a woman in power, and many
women fear that the rise of Islamist movements in the country will and has
contributed to increasing oppression of women.

Writers and Cultural Figures

In the midst of the complex role of women in modern Egypt overall, many
individual writers and cultural figures have emerged. For example:

 Shaimaa al-Sabbagh was a poet who wrote largely about daily life and
politics in Egypt. She took her role as a public literary figure and
intellectual seriously, and she was shot on January 24, 2015, during a
peaceful protest against the oppressive military government. Her killing
was public, meant as a warning to others protesting oppressive
conditions, especially for women, in the country.
 Ahdad Soueif is a novelist who has received international renown for
her works. Her novels and cultural commentary address what it feels
like to be an Egyptian woman in Europe as well as in Egypt.
 Nawal El Saadawi writes openly and bravely about her feminist and anti-
racist beliefs, as well as her opposition to capitalism.
 Huda Sha'arawi's memoir is often credited with becoming a pivotal
force in feminist expansion and movements in Egypt.

Egypt in Context
Of course, Egypt is not a country or society that exists in a vacuum, and it is
important to understand some of the ways that it can be contextualized.

The Middle East

First of all, Egypt's geopolitical situation in the Middle East has powerful
influences on women's roles and positions in the country. A nation nestled
among many other Muslim nations, Egypt, like much of the Middle East, has
had to come to terms with the role of women in Islam overall. Also, Egypt's
ongoing contentious and complex relationship with Israel has important
implications for the lives and roles of women in each country.
Africa
Egypt is also an African nation, and as such, must contend with many of the
economic struggles that Africa has faced as a continent. The political
upheaval associated with the Arab Spring resonated throughout Africa, and
Egypt helped catalyze these movements in other African countries.

Lesson Summary
Over the course of Egyptian history and development, women and their rights
have undergone many changes. In modern Egypt, women have many more
rights over all than they used to, but they also face ongoing pressures and
oppression.

Women's activism played an important role in the Arab Spring, and many
writers and other cultural figures have spoken up for ongoing moves toward
women's liberation.

It is also important to remember that Egypt exists simultaneously in the

Middle East and Africa, and the geopolitical forces in these regions impact the
lives and norms that women in Egypt experience.