Egyptian Feminist Union facts for kids
The Egyptian Feminist Union (Arabic: الاتحاد النسائي المصري) was the first major group in Egypt dedicated to fighting for women's rights across the country. It is a key part of the history of feminism in Egypt.
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History of the Union
The Egyptian Feminist Union (EFU) was started on March 6, 1923. The first meeting was held at the home of Huda Sha'arawi, who became its first president. She led the group until she passed away in 1947. Before it was called the EFU, the group was part of the Wafd Party and was known as the Wafdist Women's Central Committee.
The EFU was created because many women felt that the movement for Egypt's independence from Great Britain was not paying enough attention to women's rights. They believed that fighting for women's rights was just as important as fighting for the country's freedom.
What Did the EFU Want to Achieve?
The main goal of the EFU was to get full rights for women. Some of their key demands were:
- The right for women to vote in elections (suffrage).
- Better education for women and children.
- Changes to laws about family and marriage.
- Better healthcare for women and children.
- An end to government rules that allowed practices harmful to women.
To share their ideas, the EFU published a magazine called L'Egyptienne (The Egyptian Woman) starting in 1925. In 1937, they also started a journal in Arabic called al-Misriyyah.
Successes and Challenges
The EFU had some big successes. In 1956, women in Egypt were finally given the right to vote. The government also made elementary school mandatory for both girls and boys in 1925. Soon after, women were allowed to attend the national university for the first time.
However, the EFU was not successful in changing all the laws they wanted to. For example, they could not change family laws that gave men more power in marriage and divorce.
The EFU also supported Egypt's full independence from the United Kingdom. Like the male leaders of the Wafd Party, they promoted modern European social values and were mainly secular, meaning they believed religion should be separate from government.
The EFU was connected with women's rights groups around the world. In 1923, they sent members to a big meeting of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in Rome, Italy. In 1944, the EFU hosted the Arab Women's Congress in Cairo, which led to the creation of the Arab Feminist Union.
Changes in the 1950s
After Huda Sha'arawi's death, many thought Doria Shafik would lead the EFU. Instead, she started her own group, the Bint Al-Nil Union, in 1948. In 1951, Shafik organized a march of 1,500 women to the Egyptian parliament to demand more rights.
Under President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the government granted women the right to vote in 1956. Nasser's government also created more opportunities for women in education and jobs. However, the government also took control of many independent groups. In 1956, the EFU was dissolved and turned into a government-run charity called the Huda Sha'arawi Association. This made it difficult for the group to fight for political rights.
The EFU Today
In 2011, during the Egyptian Revolution, many women's groups became very active. After the revolution, the Egyptian Feminist Union was re-formed as a non-profit, non-governmental organization.
Today, the new EFU works to raise awareness about women's issues. It also conducts research and uses technology to help solve problems that women in Egypt face.
Notable Members
The EFU had many amazing members who were pioneers in fighting for women's rights.
Nabawiyya Musa
Nabawiyya Musa (1886–1951) was a very important figure for women's education in Egypt. She was one of the founding members of the EFU. After being taught at home, she became the first woman in Egypt to finish high school in 1907. She later became the first female school principal and an inspector for women's education.
Musa believed strongly that women had the right to education and work. She gave a speech in Rome in 1923 calling for girls' right to education. When she returned from the trip, she, along with Huda Sha'arawi and Saiza Nabarawi, famously appeared in public without a face veil, which was a bold statement at the time.
Amīnah al-Saʿīd
Amīnah al-Saʿīd (1914-1995) was a journalist and feminist who was a leading member of the EFU. As a teenager, she joined the youth section of the EFU. She was one of the first women to graduate from Cairo University in 1935 with a degree in English literature.
She was the editor of the EFU's Arabic journal, al-Misriyyah, and later the popular magazine Hawaa (Eve). Throughout her life, she spoke out against traditions she felt held women back.
Saiza Nabarawi
Saiza Nabarawi (1897-1985) was a journalist and another founding member of the EFU. She grew up in Paris and Alexandria. Huda Sha'arawi became her mentor and made her the editor of the EFU's French journal, L'Egyptienne.
The journal wrote about the fight for both women's rights and national independence. Nabarawi wrote and lectured about women's freedom. She continued to be an activist for her entire life.
See also
In Spanish: Unión Feminista Egipcia para niños
- Feminism in Egypt
- List of women's rights organizations
