Being an Egyptian woman in Egypt is hardly a walk in the park. In fact, it is one of the toughest things a woman should have to face. Not only does it come with a lot of tasks and uncalled for expectations, but the amount of bogus conversations and talk women have to endure, is just completely and utterly ridiculous. That being said, we compiled a few things women in Egypt are constantly being told in hopes that you would understand some of the struggles that Egyptian women face

1. Hatetgawzy emta?

It doesn’t matter how accomplished a woman is, this question will always haunt her. In a way, it reflects on the Egyptian society as a whole and on how women are not defined by their hard work and self worth, but by which box they would check off the marital status section in official documents. In all honesty, it’s really a degrading question because it makes women feel like whatever they got going on in their lives is not enough unless a man put a ring on it.

2. You’ve put on some weight

This is also one of the few declarations you only hear in Egypt, even though it’s considered really inappropriate in any other part of the world. No one should be allowed to comment on any person’s appearance unless they are complimenting them. Imagine what women in Egypt feel when they’re constantly being body shamed without anyone ever thinking that it’s inappropriate behavior to begin with.

3. Science schools aren’t for girls

They don’t want girls to go for Engineering or medicine, because they don’t believe that their degrees would be of use. It’s not like husbands would like their women to work or to have a career that is slightly more successful than theirs. A woman ought to only study business, fashion design or any other non science major. At the end of the day, she is only expected to earn her degree, stay at home and turn into a housewife who has nothing but her husband and children to care for.

4. Women can’t drive

No actually, some women do know how to drive just like some men do become fashion designers. There is absolutely nothing in this world that is only exclusive to one gender, so why is it that women in Egypt have to constantly endure being told that they can’t drive? The generalization is just unfair, and most women get really offended from being accused of something that is not even supported by any evidence.

5. She couldn’t take care of her home

They usually say that when women go through a divorce or are separated from their husbands. As if losing your perfect family was not hard enough, people tend to think that it’s ok to add insult to injury and blame women for their failed marriages. Apparently marriage is supposed to be this death sentence that you cannot ever get out of even if you’re being abused or treated inhumanely.

6. Di Sahla/ Shemal

Society tends to have these genuinely absurd rules that women in Egypt have to abide by. Women have to be nice, but not so nice. If they were just a little bit nicer than what society allows them to be, that would mean that they are being flirtatious in an ill mannered way which would make women unworthy of an honourable man who would protect them. After all, they were easy. Men didn’t have to work hard enough to earn them by their sides.

Finally, these examples are enough to show the amount of gender stereotyping that is predominant in our society today. The evidence is uncanny, and it’s about time women put a stop to all the humiliation they constantly have to deal with to this day