In male-dominated Egypt, the workforce participation rate among women and girls ages 15 and older is an estimated 18%, falling below the Middle East-North Africa region's average of 19%, according to the International Labor Organization. For VOA, photojournalist Hamada Elrasam traces a thread that binds the everyday struggles of mothers and young female professionals across Cairo: dreams of agency amid far-reaching, often gender-based barriers to participation. Words by Elle Kurancid.
Egyptian Women in Work: Between Barriers and Dreams
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"My industry is dominated by men, and if you want to make it, you have to work for them," says Aya, a wedding and party planner, in Cairo, June 15, 2022. "Now, I'm working independently, taking it step by step, and I believe I'll make it on my own."
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Newly appointed female judges join their all-male counterparts past and present on Egypt's State Council, one of the country's top courts, in Cairo, March 5, 2022. Meanwhile, the scales of equality and safety are still tipped against women nationwide.
