Egypt

Petra Shaffer Gottschalk

When one thinks “Egypt,” the first thought that comes into their head is likely one of the pyramids or the Sphynx.  However, the culture of the people of Egypt is one so unique and distinct that it is hard to not acknowledge it.  One vital piece of any culture is the women – who they are, what their place is, how they contribute.  Egyptian women are typically considered mysterious, unique, mostly because of the time that they lived in.  The ancient culture of Egypt shaped strong, powerful women.  Today, the status of women in Egypt has gone down significantly through treatment, access, and general human rights. 

In ancient times, unlike most other ancient civilizations, Egyptian women carried many of the same rights as the men, particularly legal and economic rights.  The main divide as far as rights were concerned was within the social class of the time (Tyldesley).  Women were able to:  manage, own, sell property; resolve and/or conclude any legal settlement; be a contracting partner in marriage or divorce; free slaves; make adoptions; and sue at law (Tyldesley).  Egyptian women had freedom of possession as well, including the ability to remain in possession of her property that she brought into a marriage with her.  She was also “free to bequeath property from her husband to her children or even to her own brothers and sisters…” (Tyldesley).  It is interesting that women in the ancient times of Egypt had such freedom and ability to live a self-sufficient lifestyle as opposed to today in many other parts of the world where women are struggling to even be able to divorce their husbands if they are abusive.  Even more interesting is the lack of knowledge of reproductive rights in current Egypt in spite of the freedom and universal knowledge.

In Egypt, a gynecological company did a study of female university students to test how familiar they were with common reproductive health issues.  The results did not just indicate a severe lack of access to certain necessities but an extreme overall lack of knowledge.  220 women from El Minya University were asked questions about reproductive anatomy, menstrual cycles, teen pregnancy, abortion, family planning, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, among other topics (El Gelany & Moussa).  There were topics that most of the women were familiar with or at least aware of, such as difficulties in teen pregnancy or the existence of  HIV/AIDS.  However, to put the lack of knowledge into perspective, some of the statistics were astonishing.  Only fifty-five percent were aware of the earliest age that a boy can father a baby, fifteen percent knew the meaning of abortion, eleven percent were aware of the harmful effects of unsafe abortion, fifty-five percent knew the danger signs of pregnancy (i.e. – missing periods), and nineteen percent did not realize that both partners need to be treated if one partner is infected with an STD (El Gelany & Moussa). 

It is obvious that an overwhelming number of the women had not been given the proper education on reproductive health issues.  However, the study drew from fourteen different cities and eleven different colleges.  The majority of the women who were knowledgeable on the topics came from a more urban area and often from families where their parents had been highly educated as well.  To counteract, there are parts of Egypt where topics of sexuality and sex-related issues are not allowed to be talked about (El Gelany & Moussa).  An interesting fact to counteract the lack of knowledge surrounding reproductive health is the fact that ancient Egypt was one of the first cultures to use condom-like creations in order to prevent pregnancy or infection (Condomerie).     

In the study it is mentioned that many women have problems simply attending a clinic while in Egypt (El Gelany & Moussa).  The fact that women are afraid to even go to a clinic for any sort of help is an obvious contributor to the lack of knowledge and access to proper materials.  The sexist atmosphere in Egypt prevents these women from being able to properly get to this information.  Many of these women are afraid to even go outside simply because of the heavily misogynistic environment – women walking alone are frequently assaulted in the streets by mobs of men (Penny).  When one lives in that environment it is easy to see how things such as reproductive health can get swept under the rug and other issues, such as how to simply get from one place to another to carry out mediocre everyday tasks.  Interestingly enough, despite the vast amount of women’s rights during the ancient times, Egypt has dealt with a long history of misogyny that in the past few generations has taken control to the point that all women, whether they be natives of Egypt or not, are afraid to go into the street, as Laurie Penny puts it, “whether they’re marching to bring down the government or popping to the shop for a pint of milk” (Penny). 

The sexual assault culture has gotten so severe in Egypt that there is a designated task force to help women protestors, the OpAntiSH (Operation Anti Sexual Harassment).  In Egypt, sexual assault is used as a weapon almost to intimidate women into remaining docile and domestic.  According to some members of OpAntiSH, the biggest barrier that has been overcome for the women is the barrier of fear and shame surrounding being raped or sexually assaulted.  The women now live with the mentality of “We’ve been violated and we will not be silenced” (Penny).  However, regardless of the fights that these women have fought to not have to be afraid to leave, there is still a very large gender gap in regards to access to resources.  The Penguin Atlas of Women ranks Egypt as one of the lowest 10 countries on the Gender Gap Index, meaning that women and men in Egypt are not only unequal, but the women are hardly considered human.  Another study from the Atlas from 2000 indicated that women from Egypt need to have permission from a male relative in order to travel or obtain a passport (Seager 19).     

Another prevalent issue in Egypt is that of honor killings.  A study conducted in 2000 found that approximately 5,000 women in the world are killed every year by members of their families for the sake of “honor” (Lee & Shaw 385).  Honor killings are “based on the belief, deeply rooted in some cultures, of women as objects and commodities, not as human beings endowed with dignity and rights equal to those of men” (Lee & Shaw 385).  This practice is very common among women who are seeking divorce in an abusive marriage or who have been raped.  In Egypt, it is reported that forty-seven percent of honor killings are done because the woman was raped and thus dishonored her family (Seager 31).  The question of how the woman was abused never comes into play because in that environment it was not abuse, they solely see it as dishonor.  The woman has nowhere to turn, not even to her family because they are usually the ones initiating the killings in order to restore the “honor” that was lost. 

Egypt is an example of a country that started with a culture of wealth and equality and has since become a culture of misogyny and inferiority.  The general lack of resources available to women is not simply because of a lack of education, it is because of a lack of dignity and respect for women and their health.  There are many organizations that are working towards making change in Egypt, whether it is to prevent the sexual harassment on the street or whether it is to end the honor killings.  However, organizations are meant to kick-start.  The entire country and culture of Egypt has to come together to solve these problems and return the rights to the women that they deserve. 

Works Cited

El Gelany, Saad, and Ola Moussa. "Reproductive Health Awareness Among Educated Young Women In Egypt." International Journal Of Gynecology & Obstetrics 120.1 (2013): 23-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

“History of the Condom.”  Condomerie.  Web.  17 October 2013. 

Lee, Janet and Susan M. Shaw.  Women Worldwide – Transnational Feminist Perspectives on Women.  McGraw Hill.  New York, 2011. 

Penny, Laurie. "With Tasers And Placards, The Women Of Egypt Are Fighting Back Against Sexism." New Statesman142.5145 (2013): 20. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

Seager, Joni.  The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World.  Penguin Books.  New York, 2009. 

Tyldesley, Joyce.  “The Role of Women in Ancient Egyptian Society.”  Cornell University.  Web.  17 October 2013.