4 -10 April 2002
Issue No.580
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 4 -10 April 2002 Issue No.580 |
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Men must change too
By definition, national development means improving women's status. Reem Leila hears new takes on an old idea
In the first years of the 20th century, Qassem Amin, author of The Liberation of Women, was already arguing that improving women's status would allow Egypt to develop. A century on, women can vote; two women serve in the Cabinet; they can travel without their husbands' permission and initiate divorce through Khul'. But women workers, while numerous, have little impact on the work force, especially in the formal sector. Women are prevented from serving as judges; and they suffer the highest rates of illiteracy and poverty.
Amin's message is finally hitting home, however. The government now sees women's empowerment as a prerequisite for development -- which demands careful planning and intervention. A lengthy and complex process, it cannot come about while neglecting or excluding half of society.
Writer and women's rights advocate Amina Shafiq, a member of the Information and Culture Committee of the National Council for Women (NCW), notes that, while women now make up over half the country's workforce, they lack equal access to education and factors of production. "Egyptian women work far longer hours than men. Their work is closely integrated with household production systems," says Shafiq. Furthermore, Egypt, according to Soad Kamel, assistant professor at Cairo University's Faculty of Economics and Political Science and member of the Shura Council, is witnessing an increasing "feminisation of poverty." Female heads of households are among the poorest and most vulnerable social groups because of occupational segregation patterns in the formal labour market and the irregular income that characterises work in the informal sector. "Due to increasing competition and a tighter labour market, women are finding it increasingly difficult to find employment and to balance their multiple roles at home and the work place," she explains.
While women struggle for equal rights within the household, the economy, and the political sphere, this struggle does not pit one gender against the other. Rather, it challenges constraints to the entire development process. "As women change, men must change with them, and for the better; because the concerns of women bring to the fore issues that concern all society, such as inclusion, participation and poverty alleviation," Shafiq maintains.
Social and economic empowerment rests on issues such as employment, access to and control of resources, especially when women are heads of households. Health and education are also major concerns. According to Kamel, illiteracy among women is correlated with early marriage. In a vicious circle, it also limits women's access to formal labour markets, remunerated economic activity and political participation.
Although women enjoy unconditional constitutional equality with respect to political rights, their presence in the public arena is insignificant, often due to a lack of political awareness. Discrimination excludes a majority of women from political office, while the burden of their multiple roles and the high cost of seeking and holding public office further discourage participation. Abdel-Moneim Said, head of Al-Ahram's Political and Strategic Studies Centre, notes that women's representation does not exceed three per cent in the People's Assembly, six per cent in the Shura Council, and approximately one per cent in the Local Councils. To achieve development, low participation rates must be addressed effectively. "Although several economic, social and political development programmes exist, their efforts overlap and often duplicate each other. By combining their work, the authorities can magnify the output and increase the effectiveness of each programme," advises Said.
Developing women's capabilities and guaranteeing equal opportunities, he believes, are some of the most profitable investments society can make.
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