Current Policy Issues
POVERTY
In July of 2016, Egypt's official statistics agency stated that 27.8% of the Egyptian population lived below the poverty line. In rural areas of Upper Egypt, that rate was as high as 56.7%. This poverty rate leads Egypt to be among the most impoverished countries in the world. The Egyptian government has attempted to fix this issue by using subsidy cards intended for the lower class. However, according to the same survey by the official statistics agency, over 77% of the top 10% of Egyptians used these subsidy cards, which is against their intended use to help the lower class. The food cards provided by the subsidies did help the lower class as well, though, and they helped to keep 4.6% of Egyptian families above the poverty line.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Currently, the unemployment rate in Egypt is around 12%. This rate, compared to the current 4.4% in the United States, is rather high. When the Egyptian government calculates unemployment rate, the citizens actively searching for a job are included in the percentage of unemployed. Unfortunately, this means that the actual unemployment rate is most likely even higher than statistics show. Almost all of the unemployed citizens in Egypt also live in poverty.
In order to fix the rising unemployment rate, the Egyptian government has started many major projects to create short-term job opportunities. One such project was the widening of the Suez Canal, which the government spent $8 billion on, but which ultimately failed after the number of ships using the canal decreased instead of increased. While this project failed, the unemployment rate as a whole has been slowly decreasing after increasing greatly in 2013.
In order to fix the rising unemployment rate, the Egyptian government has started many major projects to create short-term job opportunities. One such project was the widening of the Suez Canal, which the government spent $8 billion on, but which ultimately failed after the number of ships using the canal decreased instead of increased. While this project failed, the unemployment rate as a whole has been slowly decreasing after increasing greatly in 2013.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Another ongoing policy issue in Egypt is the rights of women. The predominant topic within this issue is if women should have the right to work. In Egypt, it is tradition that the women take care of the household, while the men are the sole provider for the family. Some men are starting to allow their wives to work if they have extra time between doing household chores and raising the children. A study conducted by the United Nations, however, shows that about 90% of men believe that women should do all of the chores in a house, which generally does not leave any time to work. Before World War II, this issue was also present in the United States, but women began working during the war and they have continued to do so. Other topics of debate include marital violence and harrassment: about 50% of men say they have beaten their wives at some point, and up to 65% state that they have harrassed women in the street. These topics are present in the U.S. as well, but not as predominantly as in Egypt.
In order to try to win women more rights, there are many advocacy groups arguing for the women. One such group is ABAAD, a group that fights against the traditional roles for women and for gender equality. In the United States, there are many similar groups, such as Planned Parenthood, that fight for women's rights. There are also protests, like the Women's Rights March in Washington, D.C. every year.
In order to try to win women more rights, there are many advocacy groups arguing for the women. One such group is ABAAD, a group that fights against the traditional roles for women and for gender equality. In the United States, there are many similar groups, such as Planned Parenthood, that fight for women's rights. There are also protests, like the Women's Rights March in Washington, D.C. every year.
SOURCES
Masriya, Aswat. “27.8 Percent of Egyptian Population Lives below Poverty Line: CAPMAS.”Egypt Independent, 28 July 2016,
www.egyptindependent.com/278-percent-egyptian-population-lives-below-poverty-line-capmas. Accessed 22 May 2017.
“Egypt Unemployment Rate.” Trading Economics, www.tradingeconomics.com/egypt/unemployment-rate. Accessed 22 May 2017.
Ghafar, Adel Abdel. “Youth Unemployment in Egypt.” Brookings, Brookings, 1 Aug. 2016, www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2016/07/29/youth-unemployment-in-egypt-a-ticking-time-bomb/. Accessed 25 May 2017.
“United States Unemployment Rate.” Trading Economics, www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate. Accessed 25 May 2017.
“The Sorry State of Arab Men.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 4 May 2017, www.economist.com/news/middle-east-
and-africa/21721651-they-are-clinging-patriarchy-comfort-sorry-state-arab-men. Accessed 26 May 2017.
“About.” ABAAD, www.abaadmena.org/about. Accessed 26 May 2017.
www.egyptindependent.com/278-percent-egyptian-population-lives-below-poverty-line-capmas. Accessed 22 May 2017.
“Egypt Unemployment Rate.” Trading Economics, www.tradingeconomics.com/egypt/unemployment-rate. Accessed 22 May 2017.
Ghafar, Adel Abdel. “Youth Unemployment in Egypt.” Brookings, Brookings, 1 Aug. 2016, www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2016/07/29/youth-unemployment-in-egypt-a-ticking-time-bomb/. Accessed 25 May 2017.
“United States Unemployment Rate.” Trading Economics, www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate. Accessed 25 May 2017.
“The Sorry State of Arab Men.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 4 May 2017, www.economist.com/news/middle-east-
and-africa/21721651-they-are-clinging-patriarchy-comfort-sorry-state-arab-men. Accessed 26 May 2017.
“About.” ABAAD, www.abaadmena.org/about. Accessed 26 May 2017.