“I couldn’t secure the simplest right of having an independent home for my husband, my children, and myself, due to the traditions and customs imposed on us in this village.” These are the words of Afaf Hosny (a pseudonym), a 26-year-old mother of two, living in a village in the Sharqia Governorate, in the Nile Delta of Egypt.

She tells Zawia3: “I got married seven years ago, according to the customs in the village, which dictated that I live in my husband’s family home and become part of a single household with his family. Everything in the house was controlled by my mother-in-law, who dictated meal times, sleeping schedules, outings, and even personal expenses.” This was despite the fact that her family had borne significant expenses for the marriage preparations and furnishing the marital home.

According to Diane Singerman, a researcher at the Wolfensohn Center for Development, the cost of marriage in rural Egypt averages four and a half times the gross national product per capita and fifteen times the annual household expenditure per person.

Afaf describes her experience as extremely difficult, especially as she became pregnant soon after her marriage, which intensified her personal needs for food and healthcare, but her mother-in-law refused to accommodate these needs.

She says, “I would often feel hungry late at night during my pregnancy, so I asked my husband to provide me with some food to get by until the communal meal time scheduled in the family apartment on the ground floor. However, he asked me to seek permission from his mother, who refused and accused me of being greedy. So, I had to turn to my family to secretly provide me with the food I needed during my pregnancy.”

A study titled “Circles of Domestic Violence Against Women in Rural Egypt: A Case Study of Some Abused Women in Rural Areas” by Hend Fouad El-Sayed, an assistant professor of sociology at the National Center for Social and Criminal Research, indicates that the majority of factors contributing to the continuation of violence against women in rural families stem from social, cultural, educational, and economic factors, with less influence from behavioral, personal, environmental, and legal factors. All the women in the study suffered from domestic violence, either directly through physical, psychological, and sexual abuse or indirectly through social and legal violence, with the perpetrators often being fathers, brothers, fiancés, husbands, or in-laws.

The 2022 Egyptian Family Health Survey by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) shows that around one-third of women aged 15-49 who have ever been married have experienced some form of violence from their husbands. Overall, 25% of women experience physical violence within the family, 22% suffer psychological violence, and about 6% are subjected to sexual violence.

The 2015 Gender-Based Economic Cost Survey, conducted by CAPMAS in collaboration with the National Council for Women and the United Nations Development Fund, indicated that 300,000 families’ children suffer from nightmares and fear due to violence perpetrated by the husband each year. Furthermore, 113,000 families’ children miss school due to domestic violence, resulting in a loss of approximately 900,000 school days annually.

Rural Customs

Afaf explains that her situation continued for nearly three months. She adds, “When my in-laws discovered that my family was providing me with food, it sparked a major conflict in the household. My mother-in-law then decided to deny me food entirely and forced me to fend for myself in my apartment without my husband, who spent most of his time with them after returning from work, only coming to the apartment to sleep. His entire monthly salary went to his father, and he only received personal expenses.” She notes the lack of financial independence in rural Egyptian families, especially when living communally in the husband’s family home.

She continues, “The situation persisted even after I gave birth, which none of them attended as a form of punishment for my defiance. My family bore all my expenses during this time, but divorce was never an option, as my family did not see significant harm according to our village’s customs.”

She indicates that after returning home with her child, the situation remained the same, with her isolated in her apartment, relying on her family for her and her child’s expenses.

After several months, she was surprised to find herself pregnant again, which her in-laws strongly opposed, accusing her of infidelity since they had imposed physical separation between her and her husband. As she describes it, she waited for her husband to defend her, but he was unable to stand up to his family. This forced her to leave the house, but with the help of a women’s rights organization, she managed to officially register her child through a court order and eventually returned to her marital home after securing a job that allowed her to support her children and herself.

She says, “Finding a separate residence was difficult, and I had no choice but to continue living in that house, enduring all the psychological burdens and problems I face daily from my husband and his family.”

Mervat El-Sayed, a researcher in the Department of Rural Women at the Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Research Institute of the Agricultural Research Center, notes in a study that one of the main reasons for the rise of female-headed households is the absence of the husband due to death, divorce, abandonment, or illness, forcing women to support their families in addition to their traditional roles within the household. She adds that societal views on women significantly determine their situation, making the feminization of poverty and the phenomenon of female-headed households two sides of the same coin.

A study by the Egyptian Center for Thought and Studies confirmed that domestic violence is one of the most significant challenges facing Egyptian families, threatening their stability. The study estimated that around one million married women leave their marital homes each year due to violence by their husbands, with the cost of alternative housing amounting to EGP 585 million ($12.19 million) annually. Approximately 200,000 women suffer pregnancy complications due to domestic violence, with a 3.5% increase in miscarriage rates among abused women.

The study concluded that approximately 2.4 million women suffer at least one type of injury due to domestic violence, with an economic cost to survivors and their families estimated at EGP 2.17 billion ($45.21 million). The state loses about half a million working days annually for married women survivors of violence and 200,000 working days for husbands due to domestic violence.

Commenting, Lamia Lotfi, one of the founders of the Rural Women’s Initiative, tells Zawia3 that traditions in rural Egypt are not much different from those in the wider society, but rural areas tend to be more rigid and adhere to these customs more strictly, particularly with the practice of living in extended family households where sons and their families share a home. These families also share work and property, which imposes a shared lifestyle.

She explains that such communities reinforce patriarchal and masculine ideologies in the absence of economic independence among siblings, as the customs in these villages often involve extravagant marriage preparations that require the intervention and support of parents and siblings, thus subjecting them to the authority of the elders.

Lotfi highlights that rural areas experience higher rates of violence against women than urban areas. While psychological, verbal, and emotional violence is more prevalent in urban and popular areas, physical violence is more common in rural areas due to the dominance of traditions that support patriarchal and masculine authority. The severity of physical violence also varies depending on the level of control exerted by males in these areas.

The co-founder of the Rural Women’s Initiative notes that the economic dependence of families in rural areas contributes to the normalization and perpetuation of violence, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable groups in society, such as women and children. The initiative strives to reach remote villages to raise awareness among women about their rights to a dignified life and to assist those affected by these imposed restrictions through awareness campaigns in collaboration with local NGOs and legal and psychological experts. She adds that divorce rates are higher in cities than in rural areas, where women are often forced to remain in abusive marriages due to societal pressures and customs that oppose divorce and advocate for maintaining the family unit.

Double Constraints

Nada’s suffering is not much different from Afaf’s, but the primary victim is her husband, Hamdi Mohamed, who recently noticed his wife’s deteriorating health. He and his family live in a village in Giza Governorate.

He tells us that he is the eldest son in a family of five, all of whom work and share all aspects of life and finances. “As the eldest son, I got married three years ago before my siblings, according to tradition, and since my marriage, my wife has lived with us in the family home. Although she has her own apartment, we are not allowed to live independently. She helps my mother with household chores, cooking, and organizing events for me and my brothers, who have never been accustomed to helping out or taking care of themselves.”

A recent study conducted by the Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies in 2020, titled “Community Violence: A Problem in Need of a Solution,” documented 211 cases of violence against women across most of the country’s governorates. The types of violence included murder and attempted murder, which topped the list with 173 cases, followed by sexual crimes (rape, harassment, extortion) with 38 cases. The data showed a tendency toward more severe forms of violence against women, especially in crimes resulting from family disputes.

The study found that family relationships played a significant role in these cases, with 61.6% of the perpetrators being relatives of the victims, accounting for 130 out of 211 cases. Husbands topped the list with 39.3%, followed by fiancés, neighbors, or lovers with 25 cases. There were 59 cases where there was no family relationship, which is consistent with the data from the 2022 Egyptian Health Survey, highlighting the connection between family ties and community safety for women.

Hamdi says, “A few months ago, my wife’s health began to deteriorate, and when she saw a doctor, she was diagnosed with general vitamin and iron deficiencies, causing her to feel constantly fatigued. The doctor advised her to rest, but given the lifestyle imposed on us by the family—which is difficult to change or challenge—she couldn’t get the rest she needed, especially with two children to care for.”

He points out that his wife didn’t dare ask his mother for a few days of rest until her health improved, fearing her reaction. This prompted him to intervene, but it was met with anger from his parents, who assumed he wanted to live independently, sparking a dispute that required the intervention of some extended family members to resolve.

He adds, “Although the conflict was resolved, my wife still couldn’t get the rest she needed. The elders who intervened criticized and blamed me for making such a request, seeing it as a failure to fulfill my duties to my parents.”

Physical Violence

According to World Health Organization estimates in March 2021, violence against women—especially intimate partner violence and sexual violence—remains a persistent and widespread public health problem and a violation of women’s human rights. Globally, one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, mostly at the hands of intimate partners. Nearly one-third of women aged 15-49 who have been in a relationship report experiencing some form of physical or sexual violence from their partner.

A study on the causes and effects of violence against rural women in Asyut Governorate revealed that many women experience various forms of violence from their family members, including physical violence (the most common), psychological violence, economic violence (such as not meeting family needs), and sexual violence (such as being forced into sexual relations).

In this context, Karim El-Shazly, a writer and researcher in family relations, explains that rural areas and less developed regions are characterized by the strength of imposed customs and traditions and the extent to which they are enforced on individuals. This makes them more deeply rooted and impactful, with both positive and negative aspects. “Preserving these traditions has contributed to societal cohesion, which is positive. However, these traditions do not keep pace with the development and changes in society, leading to violent clashes between the two sides, representing the negative aspect of these traditions, which many still adhere to and enforce.”

El-Shazly reveals that the violation of family privacy—especially in rural and less developed areas—poses a direct threat to the stability and continuity of family relationships. He adds that rural Egypt is currently experiencing a state of distortion; it has not managed to retain its traditional village customs while also failing to embrace the development and changes imposed on it. This has contributed to the increasing problems faced by families and communities in rural areas.

He notes that the majority of those seeking help from marriage counselors are women. Social media has facilitated communication, and some rural women have started to seek help in addressing the issues they face, most of which revolve around invasions of privacy and family interference. He emphasizes the importance of mental health and respecting the privacy of both partners to establish a successful family relationship capable of addressing and solving internal and external problems.

As the cycle of violent crimes against women in Egypt continues, especially in rural areas, these incidents expose the legal loopholes and weak social protection network that leave many Egyptian women vulnerable to abuse and harassment, both from the community and within the family. This results in the erosion of their rights and the ongoing struggle to secure even a fraction of their rights in a society that upholds patriarchal and male-dominated norms and customs.