Bridging the gender gap?
Launching two human development-related reports, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak promised commitment to promote gender equality. Dina Ezzat reports
The end of 2003, the "Year of the Egyptian Girl", saw the presentation of two reports by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak which focus on the lives and prospects of girls and women in Egypt. The reports, entitled "Gender in Egypt: A Futuristic View" -- produced by the Egyptian Council for Women (ECW) and the World Bank (WB) -- and "The State of the World's Children 2004" -- produced by UNICEF -- acknowledge that women are often denied basic human rights, and outline what needs to be done to address the issue.
In two separate speeches, delivered on Sunday and Thursday, Mrs Mubarak stressed Egypt's determination to continue to work towards facilitating Egyptian women's access to health and reproductive care and promoting their socio-economic, legal and political rights. Such efforts are directed at women of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds, she underlined.
Ministries and councils dealing with women's affairs, including the ECW and the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood (ENCMC), are working hard to ensure that more women will have access to schools and healthcare, as well as legal counselling services, Mrs Mubarak said. These ministries and councils will take on board the problems facing Egyptian girls and women as outlined by both reports, and "a firm state strategy that aims to improve" observance of women's rights in Egypt will be implemented. Bridging the gender gap, Mrs Mubarak said, is an essential prerequisite for the development of the country.
The facts and figures offered by both reports reveal much about the role of women in the economic performance of the country. They also speak volumes about the injustices women face on a daily basis.
Women, according to the ECW/WB report, constitute 36.5 per cent of the labour force in Egypt. Employed women, however, especially those in the informal sector, are not adequately rewarded for their work, financially or otherwise. Moreover, the unemployment rate of women is still higher than that of men, due to the generally perceived notion that employing women reduces job opportunities for men. This erroneous notion, said Mrs Mubarak, is an example of the gender-biased attitudes which need to be confronted and changed.
School enrollment is another startling indication of the widening gap between girls and boys. Despite a ten per cent increase in girls' enrollment in primary school, girls and women are still lagging behind in comparison with their male counterparts when it comes to education access. According to the ECW/ WB report, women's illiteracy in Egypt stands at an alarming 51 per cent.
In her speech, Mrs Mubarak highlighted the progress made in securing a higher level of female enrollment in schools, while also acknowledging the socio-economic problems behind the educational gender gap.
She insisted that the government will persevere in its efforts to promote the rights and benefits of education and literacy for girls and women in Egypt. It will also continue to work around the socio-economic factors that bar women from equal access to school enrollment, she added. "We do believe that investing in the education of girls and the expansion of women's literacy is absolutely essential to achieve sustainable development," Mrs Mubarak said. She added that spending money "on the education of girls not on armament" will secure long term stability and safety.
Both reports recognised the efforts undertaken in Egypt, both by the government and non- governmental organisations, to grant women their basic rights and to adopt strategies aimed at furthering these rights.
Women are still victims of violence at home and in the workplace, despite the penal code. This violence often goes unpunished, the ECW/WB report said. According to a study quoted in the report -- prepared by women's rights activist and lawyer Amira Baheieddin -- only 40 per cent of men accused of beating their wives are actually penalised. Many cases simply go unreported.
According to the UNICEF report, girls are expected to carry out unpaid housework, and are often denied access to the nutrition and healthcare offered to male members of the family. Furthermore, girls are still subjected to female genital mutilation.
Both reports offer a set of recommendations that revolve around greater integration of women in civil society, backed up by stronger government commitment towards women's rights. For her part, Mrs Mubarak promised that attention will continue to be focused on women's rights, while also pledging to commission more studies to identify problems and provide realistic solutions.
Meanwhile, several women's rights groups in Egypt have argued that stricter laws should be put in place, and more funds should be allocated to serve the cause of women's rights in Egypt. Some activists argue that the efforts exerted by Mrs Mubarak have to be matched by better representation of women in the media and better treatment of women in the workplace and at schools.
Television plays an important role in how women are treated in society. "How can we talk about women's rights and the advancement of equality when Egyptian TV [broadcasts soap operas] about a polygamist who systematically treats his wives as inferiors, if not as mere sex objects?" asked an Egyptian activist. Women on Egyptian television, the activist continued, who give up their jobs to become housewives and tolerate their husband's brutality are portrayed as 'good', while those who do otherwise are portrayed as 'bad' or 'loose'.
Members of concerned governmental bodies said these issues have been identified and are being addressed. According to Farkhounda Hassan, secretary- general of the ECW, strategies relating to the advancement of women's rights are being supported by all relevant ministries.
"Equality observance centres have been set up in 21 ministries, and these centres are working very hard to grant girls and women equal rights," Hassan said. Whenever she approaches a ministry with a woman's issue, she says, the response is always "prompt and positive".
On the other hand, the image of women on television is something women will have to deal with themselves. They are an important part of the media apparatus, and can make a difference.
