Political Gender Inequality in Egypt after the Arab Spring (2011–2013)

Executive Director of InMind Institute Yon Machmudi, Ph.D. with Maryam Jamilah wrote about political gender inequality in Egypt after Arab Spring. This article was published by Atlantis Press on 2nd International Conference on Strategic and Global Studies (ICSGS 2018) and accessible at https://download.atlantis-press.com/article/125922546.pdf

epa03039685 Egyptian women shout slogans during a protest to condemn the army’s use of violence against female protesters, in Cairo, Egypt, 20 December 2011. Hundreds of women marched central Cairo as images of women brutally beaten and insulted circulated over media this weekend. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described recent events in Egypt as ‘shocking’, adding that women had been ‘specifically targeted both by security forces and by extremists’. Twelve civilians died and hundreds injured in clashes between protesters and security forces since 16 December. EPA/MOHAMED OMAR

This present study examines political gender inequality in Egypt following the Arab Spring in 2011, when Egyptian women openly opposed the Mubarak regime. These women held public demonstrations for the recognition and improvement of their position in the public sphere, which raised hopes for better opportunities for women to change their status in Egyptian society. However, after the overthrow of the Mubarak regime, these hopes remained unfulfilled; for instance, women’s representation in the Egyptian parliament is less than 2%. This phenomenon is analyzed using the qualitative method along with the descriptive analysis approach. This research investigates the root of gender inequality in a developing country. The results identify three factors that hinder gender equality in Egypt: economic (physical production and intense household duty), cultural (patrilocality and the son’s role as a potential support figure for the elderly), and political regime shift (from military to the Ikhwanul Muslimin regime).

image source: https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/egypt-women-protest.html