Egyptian women work on continued participation

Approximately one-quarter of the protesters in Egypt were women, lining up, marching, shouting, and sleeping in Tahrir Square alongside their male counterparts. Now, as the new government begins the re-forming process, Egyptian women will need to continue to participate in order to maintain a voice in the government. Activists assert that the country has not changed, but is in the process of change. Thus, it will take women's continued involvement in order to not forget them. Egyptian women are in a good starting place, though. Compared to their counterparts in the region, Egyptian women already have many rights. They can work outside the home, and about a quarter do, and they are allowed to drive. However, a World Economic Forum claims that 42% of Egyptian women cannot read or write and there are almost no women in politics. Hopefully, as change begins to take hold and spread, these statistics will change.

-Abbey Smith