Introduction to Social Considerations
The “Empower Her” project in Egypt, implemented in collaboration with and under the patronage of the Slovenian Embassy in Cairo, aims to bridge the gap between gender equality and environmental sustainability through integrated legal solutions for rural women’s rights. The project seeks to empower women in rural communities by addressing legal challenges, promoting legal awareness through outreach campaigns, and providing affordable legal access. Additionally, it aims to enhance sustainable environmental practices, improve health conditions, and reduce pollution.
Social and Cultural Considerations:
Cultural considerations significantly impact key factors in the agricultural sector, including land ownership, duration of work, and management capacity. Women face challenges in retaining agricultural land ownership (distinct from possession) due to cultural gender norms. Ownership refers to the legal status of land, while possession relates to economic utilization and profitability, both of which are influenced by gender. Ownership is shaped by inheritance laws rooted in Islamic teachings, which allocate males twice the share of females. Legislators often overlook men’s involvement in agricultural work or women’s specific economic needs, exacerbated by wage gaps—particularly in agriculture. In some traditional settings, women are entirely excluded from ownership to prevent land from transferring to their spouses.
Women’s agricultural labor, such as irrigation, is often considered an extension of domestic responsibilities. This unpaid domestic work crisis intensifies in agricultural communities, where women manage both household and fieldwork without the benefits of ownership, economic stability, or profitability enjoyed by men under similar conditions.
Challenges in Ownership and Decision-Making:
Women often cannot make decisions about irrigation methods, crop types, or fertilizers, affecting both economic management and workers’ health due to toxic emissions from agricultural materials. Women’s vulnerability to health risks is exacerbated by limited medical care and health insurance, compounded by their tendency to prioritize family health over their own.
Investment in agricultural efficiency faces further hurdles, as banks often require more guarantees from women than men. Women in agriculture also lack the authority to adapt to climate change impacts, such as resource management and work hours. Social norms restrict women’s social and economic mobility, tying changes in their employment to marriage or family relocation. The increasing number of women in agriculture, contrasted with the declining male workforce, highlights the sector’s growing instability and inequities.
Economic Contributions and Recognition:
Reports show increased agricultural productivity and GDP contributions when women’s working conditions are improved. Women’s work in agriculture also strengthens local and global food security, especially as many men transition from agriculture to urban industrial and service sectors. However, women’s right to work and fair pay, enshrined in Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, remains paramount, regardless of their economic contributions.
Complex Vulnerabilities:
Women in agriculture face “compound vulnerability,” where interlinked challenges intensify one another. Wage gaps contribute to financial injustice, which is compounded by higher banking guarantee demands. Similarly, exposure to toxic emissions leads to health crises, which are exacerbated by the lack of healthcare resources or social protection. These intersecting issues highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions.
Call to Action:
Given the compounded complexities faced by women in agriculture, allocating resources to protect female agricultural workers is essential until public policy reforms are achieved.
