31 May - 6 June 2001
Issue No.536
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 31 May - 6 June 2001 Issue No.536 |
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More work for women
Representation and participation: these seem to be the watchwords that will shape women's future. Reem Leila speaks to a determined and influential advocate
Farkhonda Hassan, secretary-general of the National Council for Women, teaches geology at the American University in Cairo. A member of the People's Assembly from 1979 to 1984, she has been on the Shura Council since 1984. Hassan, who served as National Democratic Party secretary on women's affairs, received the order of merit in arts and sciences (first class) in 1980.
photo: Sherif Sonbol
Farkhonda Hassan
You have been secretary-general of the National Council for Women (NCW) for two months now, after serving as the head of its education committee. How have your priorities differed?
It is difficult to know which is the most important priority. My first priority when I was head of the committee on education was narrowing the gap between boys and girls in basic education and minimising it in subsequent stages. Generally, the NCW is qualified to act as a public policy advocate, promoting gender equality... The NCW is also mandated to monitor and evaluate policy implementation in government and non-governmental organisations as well as the private sector, and to ensure the systematic integration of women's issues into Egypt's national plans. The NCW follows up on progress in this field, and verifies whether women are participating in and benefiting from policy decisions. The NCW has been doing a lot, but we still do not feel that women are part of the development plan of the country. Women's issues are not really mainstream as they should be.
What are the general features of this year's NCW plan?
There is an official policy plan for improving women's status in various fields, although this is not an easy task. The NCW is holding a series of workshops to encourage interaction between government officials responsible for drafting the national plan and a group of qualified women.
President Mubarak has said that illiteracy must be eliminated within five years. What is the NCW's role in this plan?
The aim of the five-year plan is essentially to narrow the gap between boys and girls in basic education. This will automatically minimise gaps in the other stages, because girls will be more mature and aware of their welfare. The methods adopted until to eliminate illiteracy among women have not been effected: gender disparities still exist. Such disparities undermine not only women's capacity to participate in and benefit from development, but also the effectiveness of development as a whole. This is the reason for the president's insistence that illiteracy must be eliminated within a short period of time. The gender gap in education is relatively high, but it is shrinking. Most people graduate from literacy programmes graduate without even knowing how to write their names or read the newspapers. The courses are usually so short there is not even time to learn the alphabet; nor were the teachers very interested in the programme due to the very low salaries.
The new plan will depend mainly on selecting very qualified teachers and paying them a very reasonable salary. At the end of the programme they will follow up on the students' progress. The students who graduate will be qualified to continue their education. The new plan has been drawn up by specialists in this field, if it is implemented the way it should be, illiteracy will be eliminated in a very short time. The NCW is responsible for providing the data required for implementation: particularly numbers of illiterate women and the areas where illiteracy is highest. Moreover, the NCW will monitor implementation to determine the programme's success rate.
You are advocating a return to the slate system in the elections. Would this benefit women?
People are not yet convinced that women can be credible in political life, and therefore as parliamentary representatives. In 1986 the court ruled that the slate system is unconstitutional. We cannot change the Constitution, but it is easy enough to change the law. I have submitted a draft law to the Shura Council; if it is passed, individual seats could be reserved for those who do not belong to a party, and parties could draw up lists including a reasonable number of permanent seats for women. This way we could please all the concerned parties. This system would be to women's advantage, since not all women can face the fierce battle of elections alone. They should be supported by their party.
The draft law is being studied now by the Shura Council's committee on constitutional and legal affairs, and by the various political parties. There was no time to discuss it before the elections, so we all agreed to postpone the debate. This law would also enable independent nominees to run in elections alongside the party list.
All the women nominees for the Shura Council failed in the first round. What is the problem?
I would not take the most recent elections as an example. The Shura Council elections are extremely difficult because the constituencies are so large. It is very difficult for men as well as women, unless they receive great support. In fact, I consider these elections a success, because this is the first time women run as individual candidates. The only time women ran for the Shura Council before this was the very first time, when a different norm regulated elections: the slate system. At that time, there were only two women on the list. This time, in contrast, there are 22 women candidates, 19 of whom are independent. So as a first step, it is fine.
Why are women not more vocal as secretaries-general of the various political parties? What can the NCW do to enhance their role?
As secretaries-general, women constantly need to take prompt action to achieve better representation for Egyptian women on all levels. Women are still underrepresented, whether as members or leaders, in the political parties -- although there is great scope for increasing their role in these parties. This under-representation is due to a cultural atmosphere steeped in rigid, backward concepts, which some people still use against women and the development of a more effective role for them. All political parties must put in place special programmes promoting women's capabilities and contribution at all levels of action. The NCW has scheduled several meetings with the political parties aimed at helping each of them to improve women's status. This will take place through a coordinating committee that will put the parties in direct contact in order to solve the problems facing them.
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