The last few years have witnessed remarkable achievements in empowering and supporting Egyptian women politically. The state firmly believes that stability and progress will only be achieved by ensuring women’s participation in all aspects of national action.
The government has worked on increasing the percentage of women in parliament from 2 per cent in 2015 to 28 per cent in 2020. This is the highest representation of women ever in parliament since women were given the right to run for the first time in elections in 1957. The global average for the percentage of women in parliament is 26 per cent.
Egyptian women obtained a quota of 25 per cent of parliament seats according to the recent constitutional amendments in 2019.
The percentage of women in the Senate is 14 per cent, after the president doubled the number of women by appointing female deputies to the House.
There is an increase in the percentage of women in the cabinet from 6 per cent in 2015 to 20 per cent in 2017, then to 25 per cent in 2018, with eight female ministers.
Meanwhile, Egypt ranked second in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regarding women’s representation in the Cabinet in 2021.
The percentage of women in the position of deputy governor in 2019 amounted to 31 per cent.
The number of female members in the Administrative Prosecution Authority is 1,988 judges out of 4635, 43 per cent of which are women.
Five women held the position of head of the Administrative Prosecution Authority.
The state has appointed a female deputy judge to the Supreme Constitutional Court in 2020, the second woman to be appointed to this position since the establishment of the court in 1969.
A recent cabinet report stated that women’s political rights with regard to legislative councils included increasing women’s representation in the House of Deputies, to reach 165 seats in 2022, compared to 9 seats in 2012, as well as increasing women’s representation in the Senate to 41 seats in 2022, compared to 12 seats in 2012.
Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala el-Saeed has emphasised the importance of supporting and empowering women by providing all economic, social, and political opportunities that qualify them to upgrade their capabilities, in the implementation of the objectives of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030.
Women in various countries of the world, especially Arab women, have always proven that they are capable of facing the increasing global challenges, starting with the Covid-19 epidemic, to the successive geopolitical crises that the world is currently witnessing, el-Saeed said in recent press statements.
Egypt believes in empowering women, which has become an approach rooted in the country’s development orientation through the launch of the Gender Responsive Planning Guide, which aims to integrate the social dimension into all development plans.
El-Saeed added that the state is also working to support women economically, politically, and socially through many projects and initiatives such as the Decent Life initiative that plays an important role in improving the living conditions of Egyptian women.
The initiative contributes to improving the quality of life for 34 million women due to the provision of good health services, decent housing, and job opportunities.
The national project for the development of the Egyptian family also enhances efforts to improve the status of women.
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