Female banker and mother Sara Shaker accompanies her two-year-old daughter to a nursery far away from home every morning before leaving to work.
She is usually on pins and needles until she receives her toddler again on the way back from work, anxious to confirm that the girl is ok.
This is how most working mothers spend their day. Most of these mothers have a hard time balancing their work and families because of the lack of sufficient childcare options.
Mothers working for the private sector sustain even more intense pressures than those working for the government because they work longer hours.
The lack of childcare options forces many of these women to quit work altogether and stay at home.
However, a new decision by the Ministry of Labour promises to change all this.
The decision, taken in late March, commits private sector companies with 100 female workers or more to make childcare services available to these female workers.
They have to do this, either by establishing a nursery on-site or partner with a nearby facility to offer care to children under four.
The nurseries offering this care have to be close to the workplace, properly equipped, and suitable for all kids, including those with disabilities, according to the decision.
Employers are also required to pay the largest chunk of the nursery fees for the children of their female workers.
The same decision also offers companies located in close proximity to each other to partner in establishing childcare facilities and split costs.
Working mothers like Shaker are applauding the decision, viewing it as offering overdue relief.
Sama Ezzat, an e-payment company worker, said childcare is a daily challenge for working mothers like her.
“Sometimes I’ve to leave my daughter in the nursery for a long time or with my neighbours,” she said.
She added this puts her in unending emotional stress.
“I always feel bad for staying away from the girl for such a long time,” she told the Egyptian Mail, the weekly edition of The Egyptian Gazette.
Like many other working mothers, Ezzat thought of quitting her job several times in the past, but was held back by her financial obligations.
“At the end of the day, I need to pay the bills,” she said.
She expressed hope that the new decision of the Ministry of Labour would be enforced soon.
Some mothers, she said, making life-changing decisions because of the lack of childcare choices.
Haya Islam, another working woman, found it hard to return to work after her maternity leave ended two years ago because she could not find a nursery nearby where she could leave her son.
“I had to quit work altogether,” Islam said with sorrow.
Mothers like her have a simple dream: Working without staying away from their babies.
“For mothers, working close to their children can make all the difference,” Islam said.
“I would never have quit my job, if I had found a place nearby where I could leave my son,” she told this newspaper.
Childcare concerns have a direct impact on working mothers’ productivity, according to some sociologists.
“Mothers find it hard to concentrate on their work, while they are worried about their children,” Amal Shams, a sociology professor at Ain Shams University, said.
“Mothers sometimes feel guilty for leaving their children where they are not given proper care,” she said.
Professor Shams described workplace nurseries as “important” for helping women strike a better balance between work and family.
“It strengthens their sense of stability,” she said.
She noted that companies that provide childcare do not only offer a service, but invest in their workforce.
“When mothers are reassured, they can focus fully on their work,” Professor Shams explained.
Nonetheless, she referred to the challenges that might face the implementing of the new Ministry of Labour decision.
Implementing the decision, particularly in large industrial areas, she said, would require careful planning to ensure nurseries meet health and safety standards and are located away from noise and pollution.
“There is also the question of trust, as some mothers may hesitate to rely on workplace nurseries, if they are not well prepared to give their children the care they need,” Professor Shams said.
