Women in Egypt

THE EVOLUTION OF WOMEN'S ROLE IN EGYPT
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Abstract
Women in Egypt have straggled for a more equitable status in the society and this has marked the tremendous change in women’s position in the Egyptian society. Women have been integrated into the aspects of public life although there are controversies that still accompany this move. Moreover, little attention has been given to the public discourse regarding gender and women position in the society. Women concerns have been relegated by the male dominated institutions to a low priority by subordinating women issues to tits concerns of security. The emergence of feminists’ movement in Egypt was aimed to advocate for women rights to champion for women secularism in the public sphere. Major political forces have embraced the issue of women in building of a trendy legitimacy, which traces the origin and development of trends that resulted to important consequences for the lives of Egyptian women.
Key words: Feminism, women movement, women rights, public life, equality.
Introduction
The women position in the Egyptian society has been marked by tremendous change during the twentieth century. Women have been incorporated in the public life in the contemporary Egyptian society. Although the earliest appearance of women in public life dates back to the pharaoh era, they are ultimately enjoying equal status with men in politics and government presently. The current feminist in Egypt has sought equal rights for women in an attempt to transform the political balance by enhancing women to move from margins of power to positions where they are able to participate in society’s important decisions (Sullivan, 1987). It has been argued that the participation of women in public life Egypt has been argued as a common good for both sexes because it has the capability to strengthen families and society in increasing the number of citizens whose resources and talents are drawn. This paper deals with the context of feminism and activism in Egypt that examines the historical struggle for women rights, and the pattern of continuity and change in women’s rights organizations and strategies employed to promote resistance of their limitation to be involved in public life. The feminists’ movement faced oppositions from women and men in its effort to pursue an enlarged public forum, thereby making a variety of ideologies and specific goals. The absolute equality of women to men was opposed with a belief of protecting and enhancing separate realm of females in the public life as being preferable to a democratic world. There are those who accepted the separation of women realm through professing of equality as the ultimate goal (Guenena & Wassef, 1999). Twentieth century changes have affected the role of women in Egypt having gone through distinct phases to enter the new period in 1979. The feminists have made a niche for women in public life which was realized recently, but the roots are in a distant past.
Literature Outlook
The changes in women roles and status in Egypt has gone through distinct phases to enter the new period of 1979 where major events with respect to women public roles were realized. The issues of women were clarified and position taken during the period between 1900- 1923, when men as equally as women were prominent participant in the events (Sullivan, 1987). Influential women both proponents and opponents of an extended women role that defended women’s view in Islamic terms the need of modernizing Egypt.
The establishment of Egyptian Feminist Union in 1923 led to women movement which ended in 1935 after setting agenda for the movement such as Hoda Sha’rawi and Ceza Nabarawi who linked feminism with nationalism. These upper class women organized and gave speeches while establishing charitable organizations in an effort to define their issues. Some women even went abroad to further their education, and founded schools for girls, and this enabled women to be admitted in university by the year 1928, as feminists argued that women had a right to personal development and fulfillment (Osman, 2012 ). The women movement; Feminist Union became assertive with respect to the right of women and this resulted to endorsement of the principle of political equality to both sexes.
Graduation of women from university enabled them to indulge in the profession regarded for men, and actual feminists thus, lay the foundation of future careers. The women activists used the theme of Palestine and unity in Arab states, coupled with traditional programs which prohibited legalized prostitution (State Information Service, 2012). This made the presence of women in public realm vivid setting the tone, until World War II, which saw the acceleration of political work and formation of women political groups (Sullivan, 1987). The social feminists were specialized in attempts to improve the social and economic conditions throughout the fist half of twentieth century. Women vied for leadership with political feminists to advocate for direct participation of women and reform for personal status legislations, which regulated marriage and divorce (Guenena & Wassef, 1999). The political feminists fell within the scope of social feminism through running of voluntary social organizations mostly in health services.
The significance of women movement was seen during their response to devastation of the World War II where they played an active role to deal with cases of epidemics becoming more effective that the government in combating the epidemic (Sullivan, 1987). This depicted their value toward nationalism and support of items in the political plan. The 1952 revolution in Egypt gave women a new lease of life when the constitution granted them the right to vote in 1956 (Fluehr-Lobban, 1980). The period between 1956 and 1979 created an avenue for women to participate in the public sphere as they were able to start their own businesses, and represented people in the national assembly (Sullivan, 1987). They were more active in the professions absorbing women groups into legal political unions. Guenena & Wassef (1999) indicates that the public lives of women in political field were accelerated through the notion of their past achievements such as education and during the Sadat regime, the women activities were encouraged more.
The gaining of women’s right to vote enhanced the reformation of the personal law paving way for women to be offered guaranteed seats in parliament (Talhami, 1996). The leading women after 1979 proceeded with their activities of advocating women rights by defending and consolidating the rights which had been established and position of women from erosion (Rasheed, 1973). The women feminist movement was considered as radical, but is presently legal. The Egyptian women are presently better than the beginning of the century due to the development of Egypt and successful struggle of women, although the fruits have not been equally shared among classes specifically between men and women.
Organization and Setting of Feminists Objectives
Twentieth century found the changes in women political and economic life that contrasts the last century where pressure was set though limited change occurred. The condition of women declined during the first period rather than improving as peasant women were allowed to work in the field, but public activities were limited to them (Sullivan, 1987). The urban women were more secluded in public life than rural women since they were not allowed to work with men or work outside home. Women entirely were virtually illiterate with only a handful of privileged urban women who could read english than arabic(Guenena & Wassef, 1999). The upper class women were confined by rule which governed the household, but this did not mean they were ignorant of outside life. Some were involved in business and followed political events, but were not active in public realm due to severe social structure.
Education for a girl child was limited to primary school with only the privileged ones who was able to be educated in Cairo where a girl’s secondary school had been established in 1921. Change was taking place but in a slow pace (Talhami, 1996). The reformist movement was aimed to emphasize the adaptation of Islamic law to the new social life of capitalism and imperialism making the women role to be conducted in the Islamic jurisdiction (Sullivan, 1987) (State Information Service, 2012). The Islamic law had strict rules regarding women which affected personal status.
The idea of women to be accorded rights was opposed based on the grounds that it was exotic and women liberation was a factor that aimed at weakening the nation and dissemination of immorality. The women reformist aimed at strengthening their nation with respect to western states by drawing its powers, but this was seen as a competition of scarce jobs with women (Rasheed, 1973). The turn of twentieth century resulted into controversy over the issue of freedom regarding the role and rights of women.
The major issue pertaining to women feminism union was marriage and divorce, since girls were married before puberty and could be divorced for no concrete reason and could not leave the husband without his consent (Talhami, 1996). The governing of marriage and divorce by custom ra...