Cultural hurdles stall progress in female employment in Egypt: Even though gender equality has improved in Egypt, obstacles that are mostly rooted in cultural beliefs have stalled progress, Leslie T. Change writes for the New Yorker. Over the past two decades, the percentage of working women in Egypt has remained flat and actually dropped among college degree-holders. World Bank data estimated that household incomes would increase by up to 20% if women in the MENA region worked at the international rate, which it estimated would take 150 years to meet.

So much of it has to do with men’s fragile egos: A lot of women don’t work to protect their husbands’ image or ego from being hurt, says Change. Legally, a woman who seeks work without her husband’s permission in Egypt could face punishment, including losing his financial support, she adds. Work also involves travel which many women prefer avoiding due to “a [redacted] harassment epidemic”.