Are Egypt's women really better off under Sisi?
Life for women in Egypt has improved significantly under the reign of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi compared to the era of the Muslim Brotherhood, although some female activists say that women still have a long way to go toward emancipation.
Since the revolution, Egyptian women have played a pivotal role in political transformations by participating in Egypt's elections. They featured prominently in the June 30 movements of 2013, the subsequent constitutional referendum of 2014 and the election of President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in 2014. Now is the time to evaluate the status of Egyptian women during Sisi’s reign compared to the years following the revolution and examine whether there was a real shift in the Egyptian authority’s approach toward women.
On the subject of women's status during Sisi’s era compared to the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule, the former secretary-general of the National Council for Women, Ambassador Mona Omar, told Al-Monitor, “Women's rights under the rule of President Sisi improved compared to their situation during the reign of President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.” Omar explained that the 2014 constitution enhanced the situation of Egyptian women, saying, “Egypt's new constitution contains articles in favor of Egyptian women.”
Among the articles that promote women's rights is Article 6 on citizenship, which states, “Citizenship is a right to anyone born to an Egyptian father or an Egyptian mother.” Article 11 on equality between men and women stipulates, “The state commits to achieving equality between women and men in all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights,” while Article 180 on the political empowerment of women states, “Every local unit elects a local council by direct, secret ballot … provided that ... one-quarter is allocated for women.”
Omar pointed to the improvement in women’s status during Sisi’s rule, marked by the "president's visit in June 11, 2014, to the girl who was harassed in Tahrir Square — which was the first visit made by an Egyptian president to a victim of harassment. The visit drew the attention of officials who became interested in the issue of harassment against Egyptian women. In addition, the Ministry of Interior established police departments in all security directorates to fight violent crimes against women and appointed women officers in police stations.”
