Gender and Sexuality Commons^™

Marital Status And Wellbeing Of Females In Egypt: Informing The Discourse And Exploring A New Framework, Hoda Rashad, Mohamed Hassan, Amr El Sayed, Rania Elsebaie

Faculty Books

Egypt is experiencing important changes in marriage formation and dissolution amid broader social, economic, and gender transformations. This study examines these changes by analyzing the recent patterns and social distribution of delayed and non-occurrence of marriage and divorce, their association with women’s empowerment, and their implications for women’s subjective wellbeing. Drawing on nationally representative quantitative data alongside exploratory qualitative evidence, the study also develops and investigates a “Conscious Decision Model” to examine how resources, agency, aspirations, and prevailing gender relations may shape women’s marital decisions and wellbeing. The analysis responds to public narratives that frequently attribute delayed marriage and divorce …

Women's Empowerment And Transformations In Marriage Formation And Dissolution: From Social Anxiety To Evidence-Based And More Responsive Policies, Hoda Rashad, Mohamed Hassan

Faculty Journal Articles

The central premise of this policy brief is that effective family policy in Egypt cannot be built on public perceptions, ideological assumptions or isolated demographic indicators. It must instead be grounded in robust evidence and a comprehensive understanding of the changing mechanisms through which women form, sustain and dissolve marital unions.

The study provides evidence-based findings that are inconsistent with the crisis and anxiety mode dominating the public discourse. The findings neither dismiss the public concerns nor support their dominant framing. Delays in marriage, the growing visibility of never married and divorced women, and the increasing occurrence of divorce represent …

Breaking The Silence: A Content And Expert Analysis Of The 2025 Ramadan Series Lam Shamseya's Framing And Subversion Of Child Sexual Abuse Discourse In Egypt, Maya Abouelnasr

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes how the 2025 Egyptian TV series Lam Shamseya served as a sociocultural intervention and awareness platform for reframing and subverting the typical child sexual abuse (CSA) discourse in Egypt. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study triangulates framing theory and two complementary tools of the critical discourse analysis (CDA) and the circuit of culture model through a scene-level content analysis of 304 scenes across all 15 episodes of the series and ten semi-structured interviews with media experts, media practitioners, and psychologists. Key findings include reported corroboration of subversion of traditional tropes and archetypes, as well as reframing of …

In Her Words: The Silent Battles Of Egyptian Women With Breast Cancer, Nada Mohamed Ahmed Hassan Nh

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the emotional, social, and economic difficulties encountered by Egyptian women from middle- to working-class origins after a breast cancer diagnosis. Despite being a worldwide health concern, local cultural, institutional, and economic circumstances have a significant impact on the lived consequences of breast cancer. Women's post-diagnosis experiences in Egypt are greatly exacerbated by deeply ingrained gender stereotypes, stigma associated with cancer, and systemic injustices in the healthcare system. This research emphasizes women's situated knowledge and views their bodily experiences as crucial sources of insight into larger societal power relations. It is based on feminist perspective theory, especially the …

An Ethnographic Exploration Of The Lived Experiences With Gynecologic Cancers, Norma Naser Aldeen

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This thesis stays close to conversations with nine women who spoke about living with and through gynecologic cancers, from moments of finding out, through treatment, and into what follows. These encounters unfolded primarily through digitally mediated exchanges across Baalbek, Beirut, and other translocal settings shaped by distance and movement. Rather than approaching illness as a bounded biomedical event, this thesis attends to how gynecologic cancer is narrated as something that lingers—pressing into everyday life through bodily sensations, altered rhythms, and ongoing recalibrations of care, responsibility, and what remains possible.

Across these encounters, care rarely appears as a stable system …

Under The Guardianship: Experiences Of Mothers In Egypt’S El Nayaba El Hesbaya, Hana Khayry

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the intersectional lived experience of El Nayaba El Hesbaya in Egypt. El Nayaba El Hesbaya, operating under Law 119/1952, is the administrative and judicial body responsible for overseeing the financial and legal affairs of minors whose father or mother had passed. Hundreds of thousands of mothers in Egypt have (had) children under the guardianship of El Nayaba El Hesbaya. This research delves into the experience of mothers whose children are or were under the guardianship of El Nayaba El Hesbaya, examining how it shape(s/d) their everyday life as women, mothers, widows or ex-wives, citizens, and legal subjects. …

Journeys Of Emancipation, Struggle, Or Both? Accounts From Professional Egyptian Migrant Women In Germany, Adam Eddouss

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the migration experiences of a group of professional Egyptian migrant women living in Germany. By employing a qualitative approach, primarily through semi-structured interviews, and guided by migration literature, this research attempts to move away from the oversimplistic approach that migration is an ‘either or’ reality. Mainstream migration scholarship, specifically that focusing on migrant women, tends to focus on depicting migration within an emancipation-struggle binary, presenting migrant women either as victims or as heroines. This work, antithetically, describes how migrant women experiences can be complex, highlighting, both instances of strength and struggle. Grounded in the words of the …

Egyptian Feminist Critiques Of Neoliberalism, Asmaa Elmalky

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines Egyptian feminist critiques of neoliberal economic policies through a Third World feminist and feminist political economy framework. It argues that neoliberalism in Egypt has produced controlling power dynamics through restructuring labor markets, social reproduction, and legal systems in ways that disproportionately impoverish women, particularly working-class women. The research maps diverse feminist engagements with neoliberal reforms, including structural adjustment programs, privatization, labor reduction, and legal liberalization. These critiques were influenced by the debates between Third World and transnational feminism, the thesis emphasizes the importance of national specific analysis in understanding how global neoliberal policies are mediated through national …

Casar Public Lecture: The Fierce Battle For The 2024 Us Presidency: Race, Gender, And The Power Of Identity Politics, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

In light of the upcoming 2024 US Elections, we hosted this lecture on SUNDAY OCTOBER 27TH - 1-2 pm titled: "The Fierce Battle for the 2024 US Presidency: Race, Gender, and the Power of Identity Politics." Speakers: CASAR guest speaker Dr. Sherri McFarland - moderated by CASAR Assistant to Director and Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El-Ghazaly. Dr. Sherri Lynn McFarland's academic and professional careers demonstrate her passionate desire to contribute to the economic, social, and political progress of African and Middle Eastern North African (MENA) countries and their diasporic communities. Her keen interest in the people of these regions led her …

Addressing Climate Vulnerability And Policy Gaps Of Heat Waves In Upper Egypt: The Case Study Of Al-A’Qaab Village In Aswan, Eman Abdullah

Theses and Dissertations

Heatwaves are currently one of the most dangerous climate hazards globally. Egypt is experiencing an increase in the intensity and frequency of heatwaves, which affects health, economy, infrastructure, and the ecological system. Upper Egypt is one of the most vulnerable regions in Egypt to rising temperatures, particularly in Aswan Governorate. The risks of heat waves are increasing vulnerability among vulnerable groups, such as women and low-income individuals. However, there is a clear gap in protection policies against heat waves, along with a lack of studies examining the effects of heat waves on individuals in Aswan. Accordingly, this thesis aims to …

Casar Student Discussion Series #7: Censored Classrooms - Should Parents And Community Members Have A Say In Restricting Certain Books In Schools, Based On Factors Such As Religion, Age Appropriateness, And More?, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated.

On April 10th 2025, at this CASAR Student Discussion event #7 in light of the current book bans in the US happening from Trump's administration, we debated this question: 'Censored classrooms: Should parents and community members have a say in restricting certain books in schools …

The Effect Of China’S Universal Two-Child Policy On Female Employment: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Labor Market Outcomes, Sijia Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the effects of China's Universal Two-Child Policy, enacted in 2016, on women's employment outcomes. The implementation of this policy has highlighted the challenges women face in the labor market, revealing a significant disparity between the policy's effects and expectations, as evidenced by the simultaneous occurrence of low fertility intentions and employment difficulties. This research employs a mixed methodology to systematically evaluate the policy's effects on the quality and stability of women's employment while also investigating the underlying mechanisms of this impact. The research indicates that the Universal Two-Child Policy adversely affects women's employment performance in multiple dimensions. …

Casar Auc Community Lecture: ‘Gender-Based Violence,Women And The Law In Egypt And The Us’, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

This engaging - AUC community only - special topics lecture discussed the social challenges and legal obstacles women face when discussing gender based violence crimes in Egypt shedding a comparative light on the US given the recent election results.

This event hosted Counselor Mohamed Samir Ahmed, Spokesperson of the Administrative Prosecution Authority (APA) in Egypt, Independent Lecturer in Political Science & Gender Based Violence Crimes.

The event was moderated by CASAR Assistant to Director & Adjunct Faculty Yasmeen El-Ghazaly.

This lecture was a collaboration between The Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR AUC EGYPT ) and the …

Casar Student Debate#4:"Should Men Be Allowed To Vote On Abortion Legislation?", The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar, Yasmeen El Ghazaly, Mark W. Deets

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated.

At this CASAR Student Discussion event #4 in celebration of International Women's Day, an introduction was given about the historical context for enacting laws on abortion in Egypt & the US, then we watched a brief video where men in the US answered this very …

Modest Aspirations: Day Dreams, Frivolity, And Digital Lives Of Public College Girls In Lahore, Pakistan, Anam Khan

Theses and Dissertations

This project was conceived out of a policy announcement in 2016 where the Higher Education Commission Pakistan announced that the two-year colleges were to be phased out and eventually eliminated. In doing so, the notice suggested that they will be replaced by programs modeled around the United States community college and called Associate Degrees. This ongoing development formed the basis of my research as for many gender and class minorities, these programs are the only option for post-secondary education in a country where many do not have the privilege to go to college. I aimed to analyze the kind of …

The Family Values: Is It Really About The Family? Analyzing The Family In The Egyptian Discourse Through A Sociological Lens, Taher Sabala

Theses and Dissertations

The Egyptian state has put on its shoulders the responsibility of protecting the family and its values. But how this family, in a massive society like Egypt, can be defined? In this paper, I argue that it has never been about protecting the family. However, it is an attempt to shape the citizens into small separate hives which give the State the power to gain access to the intimate details of its citizens’ lives through which they can be easily monitored, managed, and controlled. By analyzing Michel Foucault’s work on government, power, sexuality, and family, I travel through a historical …

Zinā In The Criminal Legislation Act (1999-2000): An Evaluation Of The Implication For Muslim Women's Right In Nigeria, Paul Orerhime Akpomie

Theses and Dissertations

The research engages in an exploration of human rights in Islam. Human rights issues are then contrasted with international law positions. The data gotten is then used for investigating women’s human rights issues in Shariʾa penal tradition regarding zinā (adultery) in Nigeria. The re-emergence of Sharia penal codes adopted by 12 Northern states in Nigeria in 1999 as an operative Islamic law has sparked concerns about rulings amounting to stoning to death in several cases of zinā. These events raised concerns about Shariʾa penal traditions’ legality and relationship with other legal traditions operational in Nigeria, a secular political space. …

The Working Wife: Attitudes, Perceptions And Role-Expectations Of Five Male Cairenes, Laila Stino

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Political Violence On Domestic Violence Against Women: Egypt As A Case Study From 2005-2015, Nevine Henry Wasef

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The thesis discusses the impact of political violence represented by the 25th of January 2011 Uprising whether political, economic, institutional or legal violence, on domestic violence against women. The thesis also approaches social violence as it intersects with both political and domestic violence. So, the interaction between political and social violence, and domestic violence against women will be analyzed to find out how they interact and in what ways domestic violence against women is affected by both variables. Previous research work highlighted the relation between political and social violence or the relation between social and domestic violence with little attention …

Women, Power And Position Within The Household Economy: An Ethnography Of Microcredit In Poor Cairo Nighborhoods, Mamdouh Hakim

Archived Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the development discourses of the household-economy and related issues of power relations, and women's position by focusing on microcredit projects implemented by NOOs targeting women in poor Cairo neighborhoods. In doing so, the researcher reviews microcredit roots and history within development discourses against situated knowledge and value systems about women in poor Cairo neighborhoods. The research's analytical approach of deconstructing development provides the basic framework for the analysis of the language of development; for challenging microcredit assumptions and hypotheses embodied in its discourses; and for considering situated knowledge and practices.The ethnographic work of this thesis examines two …

The National Council For Women: Reassessing The Social, Economic And Political Empowerments For Egyptian Females, Wesam Hamdy Mostafa

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Embodying The Everyday Practices Of Urban Water: The Discourse Of Water Scarcity And Women's Subjectivities In Amman, Jordan, Katrin Masharqa

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Social Inclusion Or Exclusion? Never-Married Singles In West Amman, Dana Mustafa Sabbah

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Women's Empowerment Made Visual: Digital Storytelling At Pathways Research Consortium, Laura Worcester

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Environment Of Impunity: Criticisms Of Current Approaches To Sexual Violence, Margaret Natalie Konstanski

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gender Politics In Transition Women's Political Rights In Egypt After The January 25 Revolution, Claudia Ruta

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Convictions And Ambivalences: Theorizing Power At A Cairene Feminist Ngo, Laura Wulf

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

South Sudanese Women In Cairo: The Making And Re-Making Of Life Under Precarious Conditions, Nour Abdulhak

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses how South Sudanese women mobile subjects who choose domestic work as a livelihood navigate life in the city of Cairo. The thesis unpacks how these women’s precarious conditions and different individual and structural factors or policies affect the way they make and re-make their lives in Cairo. While it is common for South Sudanese women to do domestic work in Egypt, this population has been neglected by academia and policy makers. Due to the academic limitations on this topic, interviews with experts were conducted alongside the ethnographic study of these women’s lives to attain the closest depiction …

After Covid-19: Mitigating Domestic Gender-Based Violence In Egypt In Times Of Emergency, Diana Magdy, Hind Ahmed Zaki

Faculty Journal Articles

In times of crises and emergencies, violence against women tends to increase. The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in severe precautionary measures such as social isolation, physical distancing, staying at home, curfews and lockdowns, which brought “normal” life to a halt and created a temporary convergence between the public and the private. The pandemic has forced the global community to turn its gaze back to the private, and compelled them to pay attention to the old/new problem of gender-based violence, particularly, domestic violence that spiked during the pandemic. Against such a backdrop, and using a critical feminist lens that analyzes …

The Basha's Tools? Imagining Alternative Justice Futures In Egypt, Farah Ghazal

Theses and Dissertations

The dominant approach to addressing violence against women in Egypt today is carceral, or relying on the punitive instruments of the state to achieve justice (most visibly represented by the prison and police). While carceral responses are perhaps unsurprisingly advocated by state feminism, they are also promoted by what would typically be described as anti-state actors. This paradoxical entanglement takes place during what I identify as the 'carceral moment', a period marked by the intensification of political and social repression and during which incarceration appears more readily available as a solution to remedy perceived problems of governance. I argue that, …