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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 March 1999 Issue No. 421 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 March 1999 Issue No. 421
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Believing in equality
By Madiha El-Safti *
Egyptian women have gone a long way toward emancipation. They have secured the constitutional right to equality with men in all fields: education, job opportunities, pay, political participation... They have also obtained rights, such as maternity leave, allowing them to keep their jobs while looking after their families.
Egyptian women, living in an Islamic society, also enjoy many rights given by Islam. They have the right to own property independently of any other member of the family, the right to inherit, to choose their partner in marriage as well as many other rights in the family. Even in the case of divorce, women have many rights that guarantee their dignity as human beings.
The problem is that the actual situation shows that there is a discrepancy between all these rights and actual practice. The reason lies basically in male-dominated culture, which may deprive women of their legal and Islamic rights.
One typical example is the fact that the position of a judge is closed to women, although there is no constitutional or Islamic base for this discrimination. If any attempts at development are to be made, greater awareness is necessary to ensure that women, as human beings and as half of society, enjoy their rights.
What is currently needed is the concept of equality to guarantee equal opportunities for women.
*This week's Soapbox speaker is professor of sociology at the American University in Cairo.
