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Is COVID-19 pushing women in Egypt out of workforce?

With schools reopening and many shifting to partial online learning because of the coronavirus crisis, working moms in Egypt are facing the challenging task of juggling work and supporting their children’s education.

Women, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, wait to cast their ballots outside a polling station in the town of el-Ayyat in Giza province south of the Egyptian capital on August 11, 2020 for candidates running in the upper house election for the newly created Senate. - The two-day vote for 200 of the Senate's 300 seats will be largely contested by candidates who back President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has quietened most opposition within and outside the legislature. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo
Women, mask-clad due to the coronavirus pandemic, wait to cast their ballots outside a polling station in the town of el-Ayyat in Giza province, south of Cairo, Egypt, Aug. 11, 2020. — AFP via Getty Images

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. 

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