WEBVTT 00:00:12.379 --> 00:00:18.419 Throughout history, Egyptian women have proved themselves true partners to men in many things. 00:00:18.419 --> 00:00:23.991 In spite of this, and today in 2011, we still find people in Egypt who look at women 00:00:23.991 --> 00:00:27.495 with a conflicted and unjust viewpoint. 00:00:27.495 --> 00:00:30.531 I have 3 different work experiences: 00:00:30.531 --> 00:00:36.570 Regarding the first experience - from my point of view as a woman - 00:00:36.570 --> 00:00:39.938 I'll be talking about the difference between my work and that of men. 00:00:39.938 --> 00:00:44.912 Okay, so I was already lucky that I received my first job offer right after graduation. 00:00:44.912 --> 00:00:48.027 The head of the department where I worked was a woman 00:00:48.027 --> 00:00:50.693 so, maybe she didn't really have a problem with whether I was a woman or a man. 00:00:50.693 --> 00:00:52.700 They preferred to have a man for the job, 00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:56.190 but they noticed that all the men who applied for jobs 00:00:56.190 --> 00:00:59.560 were less competent and active than the women. 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:00.787 I got the job. 00:01:00.787 --> 00:01:06.466 But what was notable throughout the six years that I spent in my first job 00:01:06.466 --> 00:01:09.745 - which was in a journalism institution that has a website - 00:01:09.745 --> 00:01:13.443 was that there was a gap in salaries between men and women. 00:01:13.443 --> 00:01:19.005 Men always received higher salaries, even if they worked less. 00:01:19.005 --> 00:01:23.184 Even if they had a lesser position. 00:01:23.184 --> 00:01:29.423 The logic we were told stood behind it was that they were responsible for their families and homes 00:01:29.423 --> 00:01:34.035 and consequently they are more deserving of a higher salary. 00:01:36.820 --> 00:01:40.734 I don't think that the Egyptian society does not accept women's work 00:01:40.734 --> 00:01:43.096 but I believe that the problems facing women regarding work 00:01:43.096 --> 00:01:45.772 do not pertain to the society not accepting their work. 00:01:45.772 --> 00:01:49.643 They rather have to do with women having to deal with specific cases preventing them from doing so. 00:01:49.643 --> 00:01:56.382 For example, I have many friends, who willingly chose to stay at home for over a year - at first - 00:01:56.382 --> 00:01:58.586 with their young children. 00:01:58.586 --> 00:02:02.281 And when they tried after to get back into the job market, they faced problems, 00:02:02.290 --> 00:02:06.226 like wanting to find training or guidance, 00:02:06.226 --> 00:02:08.962 and they have no idea who can help them find these things. 00:02:08.962 --> 00:02:13.500 Some of them try to find opportunities of free grants, for example, 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:16.637 that will help them get back to the job market, 00:02:16.637 --> 00:02:19.807 but they don't have anyone to provide good guidance in how to obtain these grants. 00:02:21.004 --> 00:02:28.275 In lots of other cases, there are ladies who think of having their own projects at home 00:02:28.275 --> 00:02:31.252 and they, too, need some form of help, 00:02:31.252 --> 00:02:35.464 someone to tell them what the steps to achieving their goals are. 00:02:39.526 --> 00:02:45.832 We need a stronger role for women in Egypt in the upcoming period. 00:02:45.832 --> 00:02:48.669 Since we are about to go into elections, 00:02:48.669 --> 00:02:52.206 which could be the first REAL elections to be held in Egypt, 00:02:52.206 --> 00:02:56.710 we need to have more political awareness for women. 00:02:56.710 --> 00:03:02.580 There should be easy tips on women's websites, 00:03:02.850 --> 00:03:07.154 so that women, since they will login to the website anyways, 00:03:07.154 --> 00:03:12.959 could do something useful, like read something that would tell them how to vote 00:03:12.959 --> 00:03:15.835 or what the PR list system is like, how the individual list system works, 00:03:15.835 --> 00:03:19.299 how the elections will proceed. 00:03:19.299 --> 00:03:23.604 Women need to know all of this quickly before the elections 00:03:23.604 --> 00:03:29.210 so, this might be a good idea: that we put such information on websites for women. 00:03:29.210 --> 00:03:30.811 We're now entering a new era, 00:03:30.811 --> 00:03:33.347 Where we can see a new Egypt that has no corruption or despotism. 00:03:33.347 --> 00:03:36.183 We also want to see a new way of perceiving women in Egypt. 00:03:36.183 --> 00:03:42.114 "Egyptian Women Voice" is a new website that raises awareness, and helps women solve their problems. 00:03:42.114 --> 00:03:44.079 Follow us!