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Egypt proposes inheritance protections for women

Lawmakers are considering a plan that would spell out prison sentences and fines for people who try to keep inheritances from being distributed fairly to rightful heirs, a problem that especially affects women.
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CAIRO — With some help from the government, Egyptian women might finally get their due, at least as far as inheritances are concerned.

Currently, Egypt has no sanctions in place to punish someone who keeps members of a family from receiving their rightful shares of an inheritance. The problem is not uncommon for women, especially in Upper Egypt and some rural areas. Often an inheritance is kept from a woman because the family fears property ownership would transfer to her husband and not be kept in the immediate family.

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