Gender Inequality
“I feel respected here” was something my brother said last summer when he visited Egypt for the first time since he was 10 years old. The comment came after a conversation with my aunt about how being a woman in Egypt I felt like I’m not respected. Women struggle daily by being sexualized and being disrespected based on what they wear. Studies show that most women have experienced some sort of harassment in their lifetime. Apart from the harassment women face in Egypt, Men also suffer from gender roles that can be linked to the harassment they cause due to toxic masculinity. Gender equality is a basic human right, Egypt as the rest of the world still struggles with the issue of sexism and inequality that is engraved in its culture.
It’s really difficult to grasp the concept that one might have bad intentions based on the choice of clothing one wears. Over the years there have been many incidents where women were harassed on the street regardless of what they wear. In Egypt the majority are Muslim, therefore a lot of women choose to wear the Hijab, and others don’t. Regardless of clothing, as women walking in the street, you are often getting catcalled or harassed. When a woman who chooses to not cover gets harassed many blame it on her for her choice of clothing but that details from the fact. As the news broke out on Social media outlets there were many feuds based on whose fault it was essentially pivoting the blame on the victim. Neil Sadler, in his article Myths, Masterplots and Sexual Harassment in Egypt, addresses the topic of Sexual harassment in Egypt. He argues that the Naturalized and stereotyped understandings of the causes and consequences of street harassment give argumentative resources for harassers to be excused and victims to be blamed. In a study taken in 2013 it proves that 99% of women were harassed during that year (Sadler 247). The study conducted by El-Deeb, “Study on Ways and Methods to Eliminate Sexual Harassment in Egypt.” UN Women proves that Egypt has been led by a toxic culture that blames the victim for their harassments.
Gender dynamics plays a huge role in sexual harrasment. A professor of Anthropology at Swarthmore College, Farha Ghannam, in her book, Live and Die Like a Man: Gender Dynamics in Urban Egypt, addresses the topic of gender dynamics in Egypt. She argues How men and women retain and reinforce masculinity in the face of changing socio-economic and political circumstances. She supports her claim by writing about her experience while she lived and conducted research in al-Zawiya, a low-income area in northern Cairo not far from Tahrir Square, for over twenty years. Therefore establishes credibility as she writes life stories based on her daily interactions and continuing interviews, revealing the neighborhood’s routine customs and problems throughout time. This book discusses the concept of masculine trajectory which is believed that it builds on and varies from the popular concept of “toxic masculinity,” which has been described as “the pattern of behaviour… that allows men’s control over women to persist” by various scholars. (Ghannam 7) Although Ghannam tries to shed light on the positive actions she sees done by men, she explains how toxic the culture is in Egypt and how many boys are taught to be masculine in a typical form.
In conclusion, Women face sexualization and contempt on a daily basis regardless of their clothing choices. Most women have been harassed at some point in their lives, according to studies. While often men do the harassment articles are written to condemn the gender roles that lead to toxic behaviors. Going to Egypt made me realize how little respect is offered to women so much that my brother noticed and felt that he was respected. Many incidents prove that victims of harassment are often blamed, so much as though studies have been done to prove that most women have experienced some sort of harassment in their lifetime. Gender equality is a fundamental human right, but Egypt, like the rest of the world, continues to deal with a culture of sexism and injustice.
Work Cited
Sadler, Neil. “Myths, Masterplots and Sexual Harassment in Egypt.” The Journal of North African Studies, vol. 24, no. 2, 2019, pp. 247–270., https://doi.org/10.1080/13629387.2017.1419872.
Ghannam, Farha. Live and Die Like a Man: Gender Dynamics in Urban Egypt. Stanford University Press, 2013.
