The conception of masculinity between constancy and change: Case study of women's right to inherit in Egypt
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
Denying women their inheritance in Egypt could be explained in various ways. One way to see it is as an embodiment of social norms that define masculinity in terms of protection of family name and property, reflection of control and domination or carrying the responsibility to run the family affairs. But in what ways such deeply rooted and widely spread conceptions of masculinity in Egypt are resilient to change. Answering this question is not only important for the sake of academic research but also essential if we are to improve the attainment of women's rights and enhance gender equality. Utilizing ethnographic methods, this chapter aims at capturing the actual change in the societal perceptions and attitudes related to women's rights, in general, and women's right to inherit, in particular, as a result of the implementation of a series of societal interventions from 2014 to 2018 in Sohag and Assuit and to examine what this means for the conception of masculinity in such communities. The chapter relies on participant observation as well as eight focus group discussions with men, women and different societal groups. In addition, the study relies on a survey that assesses the perceptions and attitudes of men and other societal groups post the interventions while comparing the results of this survey to a baseline study conducted in 2013.
Recommended Citation
Khodary, Y. (2024), The Conception of Masculinity between Constancy and Change: A Case Study of Women’s Right to Inherit in Egypt, in E. Chitando, O. Mlambo, S. Mfecane and K. Ratele (ED.) The Palgrave Handbook of African Men and Masculinities, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Scopus indexed