CAIRO — President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proclaimed 2017 “The Year of Egyptian Women.” With that — and with 2017 coming to an end — women in Egypt have indeed achieved political and legal gains. Women served as governors, and the inheritance law was approved. However, a number of social issues — and other laws such as the one protecting women from violence — have yet to be resolved.
Although the gains Egyptian women made in 2017 were notable, their aspirations go far beyond what was accomplished. They want more laws ensuring their rights, like amending the personal status law, and they seek to be shielded from violence.