Cairo, October 15, 2025
On the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, marked annually on October 15, the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) highlights the vital role played by rural women in Egypt as a cornerstone of agriculture, rural development, and food security — despite the severe challenges that continue to hinder their full and sustainable empowerment.
Rural women form the backbone of Egypt’s rural communities. They cultivate, produce, manage household resources, and shoulder the dual burdens of agricultural and domestic work, truly standing as guardians of rural development in Egypt.
Yet, despite their essential contributions, rural women still face deeply rooted structural barriers that limit their potential. Among the most significant are:
- Low agricultural land ownership:
Although women contribute nearly half of the agricultural labor force, only 5.2% of agricultural landowners in Egypt are women, and merely 2% of women own any type of land, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This figure is below the Arab regional average of about 7%. - Limited access to resources and finance:
Rural women continue to face serious challenges in obtaining agricultural loans, financial services, modern technology, and training — constraints that directly affect their productivity and income growth. - Double burden and unpaid work:
Rural women work long hours in the fields and then return home to shoulder unpaid care and household responsibilities. FAO data shows that women spend 12 times more time than men on unpaid care work.
- Dominance of informal labor:
About 71% of rural women in Egypt work in the informal sector, and 70% of them are unpaid family workers, depriving them of legal and social protection. The tragic death of 19 rural girls in Ashmoun, Menoufia, on their way to work in grape farms, remains a painful reminder of their vulnerability and lack of protection.
- Limited access to health and education services:
Many rural women face significant gaps in access to reproductive health services and quality education, which negatively affect their futures and those of their families.
Nehad AboelKomsan, ECWR’s Chairwoman, calls on all stakeholders – including the government, civil society, the private sector, and international partners – to join efforts to ensure the economic and social empowerment of rural women through comprehensive policies and programs that:
- Facilitate women’s access to land ownership and productive assets.
- Expand their access to markets, financial services, and affordable credit.
- Invest in vocational and technical training programs tailored to their needs.
- Extend social protection coverage to include them, while recognizing and reducing the burden of unpaid care work.
- Guarantee equitable access to quality education and healthcare.
ECWR affirms that rural women are not beneficiaries of charity, but true partners in achieving food security and economic development. Investing in their empowerment is not an act of benevolence — it is a smart investment in Egypt’s future, paving the way for more prosperous, equitable, and stable rural communities.
