Government and NGO surveys estimate that 20-40% of all households in Egypt are female-headed households (FHH). A FHH, as defined by The Association for the Development and Enhancement of Woman is a household in which a woman is the primary economic contributor to the family and/or represents her family legally and socially within the community.
An overwhelming amount of social science research indicates that FHHs are an especially vulnerable segment of the population and in Cairo's poor communities the situation is particularly desperate.
Women attending litteracy classes in MottamadeyaA few months ago we met Mariam, a 50 year old lady residing in the "garbage neighbourhood" of Mottamadeya . Garbage neighbourhoods are neighbourhoods that depend on garbage-processing as their primary industry. Recently it has been partly dismantled after new adjacent residential areas were built nearby. Despite her age, Mariam is trying to learn how to read and write by attending literacy classes held in her local Gamaeya , a community development association founded during the Naser era. Her decision stems from her need to be capable of managing her household affairs in all aspects, including handling documents. Her words helped us to understand what kind of social and economical changes are now facing the elder and younger generations of Mottamadeya . Here the collapse of the garbage-processing industry has forced men to leave home in search of work, leaving women solely responsible for their homes.
Tell me a little about your story: I came here with my husband and my kids from Sohag when I was 20 years hold. He was working as arbaghi (someone who hauls carts). We brought our kids up and sent them to school. The first one got his secondary school degree and the last one the bachelor's degree Now they are both married and have children. Of course we don’t leave them on their own, we still give them help. Now I’m 50 years old and I still work as a janitor at a doctor's clinic here in Mottamadeya in order to help my sons provide the best for their children.
Why you choose to attend to the literacy classes?
Honestly, when I have a document in my hands I want to understand what is written on it and also I need to keep myself from being cheated. Besides, I would like to be able to at least read the bus numbers in order to get around the city! As I told you, I sent my kids to school because I would like to give to my children and my grandchildren what I myself neglected.
I would also like to be able to help my grandchildren with their homework because since I’ve started to learn, I have begun to understand the importance of learning and education in a person's life.
So why you didn’t go to school before?
Women from MottamadeyaGirls from Upper Egypt were not allowed to go to school because they cannot travel alone in the countryside. In Sohag, I lived far from school and my parents were afraid to let me go alone. So I had to stay at home, helping my mother with the housework and waiting to be married. I came here from Sohag without any education but I did send my children to school.
Do you think that there are still differences between boys and girls regarding their access to education?
No I don’t think so. Nowadays boys and girls have almost the same opportunity to go to school.
But I saw also young girls attending the literacy classes…
It is not because they didn’t go to school. Some girls went to school but they didn’t learn anything and now they are trying to catch up. It is also true that there are a lot of girls who can't go to school because their parents need their help, particularly those with parents who work in garbage-processing, but both boys and girls are affected by this problem. That’s the reason we have many illiterate young people working with the garbage.
Which are the main job opportunities for women here in Mottamadeya ?
There are some women working in public administration. Some others work in the rubbish-processing industry, in handicraft associations or as doctors assistants, tailors and textile products traders. Most women in Mottamadeya do at least two jobs. Take me for example: in addition to my work in the household I have to do other jobs in order to support my daughters and the rest of my family. Sadly, our husbands aren't able to support the family alone.
Do you think that the job opportunities for women in Mottamadeya are acceptable or do you feel that improvements are necessary?
Of course there should be improvement. But our problems are not because we are women; women are like men, ready and able to work in every field. The real problem is the lack of jobs for everyone here in Mottamadeya. My husband, for example, had to go to Sharm el Shaykh to get a job. The main jobs here are still in the rubbish-processing industry. My sister and my cousins, they all work with the garbage because they have no other choice. Many people get sick due to close contact with garbage but they continue working because they don't have any other source of income. In addition to all this we now have a new problem. The system of garbage collection was privatized, and private companies ask their garbage collectors not to request tips. Most of the trash is burned or processed on the Moqattam hills now. Because of this we have started to see our carts coming back empty for the last few years and rubbish collectors who decided to work for the companies receive 75 piaster per flat each month. How can a man live collecting rubbish in a building of ten floors earning less than 15 pounds per month? They are depriving us of our main means of sustenance and nobody has been able to figure out a solution for this yet. Instead, people are forced to look for other jobs outside of Mottamadeya. The luckiest come back home at night. Others have to find new accommodation near their workplace. This is why a lot of women now lead the household alone and hold more than one job at the same time. These days women work more than the men and we are proud of that.