Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Egypt (Ratification: 1960)

1. The Committee notes with satisfaction that Act No. 96 of 1996 repeals Act No. 148 of 1980 respecting the power of the press, on which it made comments to the effect that section 18 of the Act established discrimination based on political opinion by restricting newspaper publication or ownership on political grounds. The Committee also notes the Government's confirmation that the repeal -- already noted in its previous observation -- by Act No. 221 of 1994, of Act No. 33 of 1978 on the Protection of the Home Front and Social Peace means that Presidential Decree No. 214 of 1978 establishing the principles of Protection of the Home Front and Social Peace is no longer applied by any legal instrument.

2. With regard to the employment situation of women, the Committee notes the Government's statement that training in household work -- together with painting, music and sports -- is part of the regular curriculum taught to girl students in all secondary, intermediate and primary schools. It also notes that, according to the Government, in 1994 there were 17,800 women in high-level posts (according to statistics from the Central Bureau for Statistics and Mobilization) and that with regard to vocational training irrespective of sex, the sole criterion used in assessing skills and interests is the personal aspirations and willingness of the individual, whether male or female. The Government provides statistical data in this connection showing the training provided to men and women, with particular reference to vocational training, skill-level assessment and vocational guidance. On the strength of the examples given, the Government states that not only are there no "typically male" jobs or occupations, but there is also a tendency among women to seek training in occupations formerly considered to be "typically male". In this connection, the Committee would again point out to the Government that this situation could be further improved through the adoption of appropriate measures to guide women towards training which is less typically or traditionally female in order to promote the principle of equality.

3. The Committee recalls that in its 1988 General Survey on equality in employment and occupation, it considered that archaic and stereotyped concepts with regard to the respective roles of men and women "are at the origin of types of discrimination based on sex and all lead to the same result: the nullification or impairment of equality of opportunity and treatment. Occupational segregation according to sex, which leads to the concentration of men and women in different occupations and sectors of activity, is to a large extent the product of these archaic and stereotyped concepts" (paragraphs 38 and 97).

4. With regard to practical measures taken to apply a national policy to promote equality of opportunity and treatment for women, the Committee notes the information supplied by the Government and the summary of its report to the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. The Committee also notes the statistical data for the period from 1985 to 1995 showing that, during that period women progressed in a number of areas: the proportion of women in the total number of senior government officials increased from 5.7 per cent in 1980 to 11.8 per cent in 1992; the proportion of women in the management category increased from 13.7 per cent in 1984 to approximately 20 per cent in 1988; the proportion of women in the employers' category increased from 5.5 per cent in 1984 to 17.1 per cent in 1988. The Government also cites machinery and programmes that have been developed recently to encourage the advancement of women, such as the National Committee for Women (whose responsibilities include strengthening the role of women in society, improving the performance of women, studying the problems women encounter and the means of solving them on a scientific basis), the General Department for Women's Affairs of the Ministry of Social Affairs (which has carried out projects such as developing the role of women in food production, the creation of women's clubs for the improvement of living standards in local communities and the autonomous development of rural and urban communities) and the Ministry of Agriculture's unit responsible for policy and coordination in women's agricultural activities (which conducts many activities to improve the situation of rural women). The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the progress made by the various mechanisms set up to improve the proportion of women in employment and their representation in high-level posts, which remains low in the above-mentioned sectors.

5. Observing that the Government cites in the report it presented at Beijing, the "domination of traditional values" especially in rural and isolated areas as one of the obstacles to women's integration in development and their entry into the formal labour market, the Committee hopes that the Government's next report will indicate measures taken or envisaged to overcome such obstacles.

6. The Committee raises other points in a request addressed directly to the Government.