Egypt
is ranked the 136th country out of 145 when it comes to gender equality. Saudi
Arabia is ranked at 134 according to World Economic Forum's annual Gender Gap
Report for 2015. Now a lot of people are upset at that (along the lines of
"OMG, this is a corrupted list! In Saudi Arabia women can't even
drive"). Yeah right!!! -_-
Stop and think for a moment though. What's law is not necessarily
practiced. Most of us can probably exit the house at our will (but don't forget
that we live in a quite poor and relatively uneducated country and what is
valid for the established middle class and upward is not necessarily valid for
the lower socioeconomic strata), but we're severely judged by neighbors,
bawabeen, and others for daring to come home late. :/
We're surely not forced into observing any particular type of
dress - at least not officially, but codes of respectability and what is
appropriate runs deep, and if we're harassed or abused we will surely be held
responsible for our clothing choice at the moment of the incident as well as
for our chosen attire when we hit the beach, for example.
We are allowed to drive here, yes, but huge swats of society
discourage even taking a taxi alone because it is "unsafe" for a
woman. We're actually allowed to work as dancers (belly dancing being both
admired and condemned in the same breath) and singers, but be among those with
less important connections doing it and try to irritate someone a bit higher up
and you'll face criminal charges related to indecency and debauchery. I may
disagree with the whole situation, but this is the sad truth!
This and so much more. And although you and I know masses of
notable, powerful, and courageous women here, it does not take away from the
fact that the base conditions for women are oppressive and that these women are
who they are in spite of this. Gender inequality is a real and severe problem
and it doesn't go away due to the existence of half-hearted laws and a handful
of woman ministers.
Lastly, realizing and critiquing the dismal conditions for women
here in Egypt does not mean that you somehow hate the country or its people. As
a matter of fact, any 'love' for a country but the superficially and manically
in-your-face-flag-waving one requires one to be interested in coming to terms
with and working on eradicating the grave issues affecting it.
Yes, no one can deny that the stereotypical image associated with
gender equality in Egypt remains tough and un-shiny. It will probably continue
to be a controversy in our society for the coming years, but a lot of people
out there are thankfully determined to break it. I am thankful that few women I
got to know are different. Through them I have been able to see a different
side of being a woman raised in Egypt. I dream of the day where my grandson - I
think - will be happy in the new world. It will only be better for him when
women will be effectively contributing so much more to running it. :)
#quoted #تخاريف
#يوميات_نُص_ميتر_عقله_طار #randomthoughts
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