Egyptian women are present in the transitional period in post-revolutionary Egypt. They are demonstrating in the streets, participating in discussions on the future of the country, blogging, and establishing a presence on the Internet. This is a positive and progressive direction.
Simultaneously on the negative side, there is a reactionary backlash restricting their movements on the streets and during protests with sexual harassment. If a female protestor is arrested or detained by authorities, she may become a victim of abuse at the hands of corrupt police officers. The authorities have not demonstrated sufficient initiative to properly address these problems. In fact, they may be part of the problem.
The current situation and the election of Mr. Morsi caused anxiety for many women worried that he might implement the conservative parts of the Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda. The actual low representation of women in both the parliament and the assembly writing the new constitution cannot be good news for the advancement of gender equality in regards to the law .
As Egypt’s economy struggles, citizens are under even more pressure which translates to bigger disadvantages for women. The core issue seems to be a weak jobs marketplace where women are pushed aside in favor of men. Where women are at a disadvantage in a normal job market, they will be even more so in a bad job market. Their suffering will be greater than those of their male counterparts.
Religious factors come into play with conservatism in Egypt. Some players in the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis are explicitly planning to restrict women’s rights. It is too simplistic to say that fundamentalism alone is responsible for restricting women’s rights but it is a key factor.
On the positive side is the creation of many women groups on the Internet[1]. These groups help to keep the women’s agenda alive thereby enabling women to get organized and promote their cause. Their motivations for supporting the revolution are diverse but their goals are similar: advance the cause of the Egyptian woman and help her to gain more rights in the new society.
Another good point is that leaders such as Samira Ibrahim are stepping forward to champion women’s rights. She has shown her dedication in defending women’s rights by taking her legal fight about the virginity tests to the African Commission.
Egyptian women may have the most to gain in any liberalizing trends or uptick in the economy but they have the most to lose if reactionary forces gain a firm foothold in Egypt or if the economy continues to dive. Perhaps this explains how the Egyptian woman of today, feeling suddenly empowered, feels so energetic to march in the street for her future and that of her country.
There is no doubt that the Revolution allowed many women to find their voice and gain self-confidence. These major transformations will hopefully bring a lasting change to the country.
[1] Groups such as Revolutionary Women’s Coalition are quite popular (with more than 5000 women liking the page);they can be found at https://www.facebook.com/RevolutionaryWomensCoalition.
Simultaneously on the negative side, there is a reactionary backlash restricting their movements on the streets and during protests with sexual harassment. If a female protestor is arrested or detained by authorities, she may become a victim of abuse at the hands of corrupt police officers. The authorities have not demonstrated sufficient initiative to properly address these problems. In fact, they may be part of the problem.
The current situation and the election of Mr. Morsi caused anxiety for many women worried that he might implement the conservative parts of the Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda. The actual low representation of women in both the parliament and the assembly writing the new constitution cannot be good news for the advancement of gender equality in regards to the law .
As Egypt’s economy struggles, citizens are under even more pressure which translates to bigger disadvantages for women. The core issue seems to be a weak jobs marketplace where women are pushed aside in favor of men. Where women are at a disadvantage in a normal job market, they will be even more so in a bad job market. Their suffering will be greater than those of their male counterparts.
Religious factors come into play with conservatism in Egypt. Some players in the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis are explicitly planning to restrict women’s rights. It is too simplistic to say that fundamentalism alone is responsible for restricting women’s rights but it is a key factor.
On the positive side is the creation of many women groups on the Internet[1]. These groups help to keep the women’s agenda alive thereby enabling women to get organized and promote their cause. Their motivations for supporting the revolution are diverse but their goals are similar: advance the cause of the Egyptian woman and help her to gain more rights in the new society.
Another good point is that leaders such as Samira Ibrahim are stepping forward to champion women’s rights. She has shown her dedication in defending women’s rights by taking her legal fight about the virginity tests to the African Commission.
Egyptian women may have the most to gain in any liberalizing trends or uptick in the economy but they have the most to lose if reactionary forces gain a firm foothold in Egypt or if the economy continues to dive. Perhaps this explains how the Egyptian woman of today, feeling suddenly empowered, feels so energetic to march in the street for her future and that of her country.
There is no doubt that the Revolution allowed many women to find their voice and gain self-confidence. These major transformations will hopefully bring a lasting change to the country.
[1] Groups such as Revolutionary Women’s Coalition are quite popular (with more than 5000 women liking the page);they can be found at https://www.facebook.com/RevolutionaryWomensCoalition.