Egypt: Women are still locked out of key leading posts

Despite constitutional articles and laws guaranteeing equal rights the process of empowering Egyptian women, who represent 49 per cent of the country's population, has a long way to go.
It was a problem highlighted at a conference in Brussels organised under the heading "Women: Stabilising an Insecure World" in advance of International Women's Day. Attended by female leaders from around the world -- the more than 50 participants included Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, foreign ministers, lawmakers and senior European Union and UN officials -- the conference addressed ways of ensuring a larger political role for women in conflict resolution and tackling poverty.

"It's up to women to take the lead in challenging the traditions and dogmas that have resulted in their exclusion from the political process," Mrs Mubarak told the conference. "Investing in women is essential if we are to meet the challenges we face, from poverty, hunger and illiteracy to environmental degradation," she said during a sideline meeting on gender equality and advancement.

A few days after the Brussels conference Mrs Mubarak inaugurated the National Council for Women's (NCW) branch in North Sinai, built at a cost of LE1 million, as part of NCW's own celebrations of Women's Day. Speaking at the new branch she appealed for a wider political role for women in addressing today's urgent problems. "In Egypt we should ensure that we hear the voices of women and address their concerns wherever we seek to establish or keep the peace. If we do that we are actually making the job of improving the status of Egyptian women easier," she said.

Women are vastly underrepresented in the ownership and/or management of private sector firms and in senior public sector positions. Farkhonda Hassan, secretary-general of the NCW, points out that as far as government employment is concerned, women tend to be concentrated in social service ministries. Yet while they constitute 70 per cent of the labour force employed by the Ministry of Health and Population, only 15 per cent of mid-level and senior management positions are held by women. Similar discrepancies are found in the Ministry of International Cooperation, where women represent 46 per cent of total employees, and the Ministry for Economic Development, where they account for 46 per cent of the workforce. In contrast, only eight per cent of the Ministry of Military Production and the Ministry of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs' employees are women. The situation is even worse at the Ministry of Justice: Egypt has only 30 women judges.

"Research confirms that very few women are empowered in leadership positions. The Egyptian cabinet includes only two women and there has never been a female prime minister, vice-president or president of the republic though nothing in the constitution or law prevents this," says Hassan. She revealed that the NCW is currently working towards the appointment of Egypt's first female governor.

The 1956 constitution, and its 2007 amendments, both guarantee women's full participation in political life. In 1956 women members of the legislature represented just 0.57 per cent of the total. Between 1979 and 1986 there were 35 female MPs, and between 1984 and 1987 just 36 despite the fact that Law 21/1979 allowed for 33 seats to be directly allocated to female candidates. That law was repealed in 1986, since which time the number of women in parliament has declined steadily. Only 2 per cent of the 444 seats in the current parliament are occupied by women.

Despite these figures Hassan believes that women are no longer the weaker players and that they must be allowed to make a difference at all levels, from grassroots family and community initiatives through to regional, national, and international decision-making roles. "Accordingly, the NCW engages across a broad spectrum of interests... the council does not have any direct interests of its own other than to see women in their right position, enjoying the stability and prosperity males enjoy."

"The NCW has succeeded in initiating the establishment of equal opportunity units in most ministries to look at issues of gender equality in recruitment, promotion and training. Though these units lack adequate funds and the authority to implement decisions they are still supporting women," says Hassan, who adds that the council is also preparing a comprehensive database of women in managerial positions in order to better target its activities.

Reem Leila, Al Ahram