Inheritance plan could be game-changer for Egyptian women
A draft law before Egypt’s parliament could help solve the problem of women being deprived of their inheritance, at least in legal terms, but overcoming traditions and customs will not be easy.
CAIRO — The Egyptian parliament is considering a move to ensure rightful heirs — including women — get their inheritances.
Six months after Egypt’s government amended the inheritance law to punish anyone who deliberately denies an inheritance to those entitled to it, parliament is discussing additional amendments. A draft law would create a judicial body specifically tasked with actually restituting inheritances to their rightful heirs.
A 2010 survey of 200 Egyptian women showed that 59% of them did not receive any inheritance, and women in Upper Egypt, in particular, do not dare to demand their rights in inheritance.
Ghada Sakr, secretary of the parliament’s Committee of Media, Culture and Antiquities, told Al-Monitor four parliamentary committees are discussing the text of the draft law she submitted in mid-June. She added, “I am working on a modern comparative study about inheritance problems in Egypt by studying the cases of a sample of women in Upper Egypt and Damietta.”
