Egypt: Women's Rights

Over the past decade, women in Egypt have made great strides in addressing discriminatory laws. The country's personal status legislation, which had been a source of gender discrimination since its inception in the 1920s, has undergone reform, especially with respect to its procedural elements.

The years 2004–09 featured continued progress in the removal of gender inequality from the Egyptian legal system. One of the main demands of women's rights groups was finally met in 2004. The government submitted proposed changes to the nationality law that would enable Egyptian women married to foreign men to pass on their nationality to their children.

New laws are passed to help women in Egypt almost every month. The law changes are very minor. The challenge in the years to come will be to adopt the institutional and policy framework necessary to make the amended child law and other such reforms enforceable.