As unemployment continues to increase in Egypt, women seem to be particularly hard hit by the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And with schools reopening and many shifting to partial online learning, parents are yet again facing the challenging task of juggling work and supporting their children’s education.

This situation is significantly impacting women since they culturally take on a greater share of child care and domestic responsibilities. Adapting to a long-term reality of managing work and school could lead women to leave their jobs to better support their children and families during this time. 

According to a recent report by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Egypt’s unemployment rate rose to a near two-year high in the second quarter of this year hitting 9.6%. Men’s unemployment increased to 8.5% while women’s unemployment reached 16.2%, according to the same report.

Many women cite child care as a reason that they are struggling to work. “When schools and companies closed in March, it was a very challenging time for me,” Sarah Sayed, mother and engineering professor at a foreign university in Egypt, told Al-Monitor. “The problem was having a safe space to conduct my online sessions without my daughter knocking on the door.”