The Oppressed Men of Egypt

For a long time I’ve been contemplating the injustices and pressures Egyptian men are faced with daily. I haven’t written about in fear of the attacks I would receive from the millions of angry Egyptian women that feel the other half of the population has taken everything away from them. Finally, Emma Watson’s speech at the United Nations gave me the courage to speak my mind.

It is a reality that men do face many social prejudices, and although they do not compare to what women experience, it does put a lot of pressure on them. The mere fact that men are obligated to support their families and judged by the amount of cash they bring home at the end of the month is extremely frustrating given the economic situation Egypt is in.

Even if a man isn’t married and has a family of his own, he is expected to support his unmarried sisters and his mother if, God forbid, anything happens to his father. Why should a man be forced to give away his hard earned money when his sisters are more than capable to work for themselves?

Besides financial pressures, Egyptian men are also put under a huge amount of emotional pressure. Newsflash: although men are less emotional than women, they still do have emotions. Egyptians view men who express their emotions openly or – God forbid – cry, as unmanly and weak. This causes men to bottle up everything inside leading to a possible nervous breakdown or heart attack.

That is besides the little insignificant matters that supposedly “indicate masculinity” such as wearing pink shirts or having a slightly feminine voice.

So, it is not just women who are treated unfairly in Egypt and forced to comply with social expectations, it is basically any living breathing individual within its borders.

NADA ISMAIL