When it comes to intercultural marriages and relationships, the equation rarely involves a union between two individuals, more often than not, it represents the merger of two different cultures. When two cultures come together, there may be significant challenges a couple must face, from contrasting behavioral patterns, values and beliefs, lifestyle, and communication issues. For foreign women marrying Egyptian men, there are also fears of exploitation and being used as a ‘temporary wife’. According to a study by Dr. Izat Ashmawi, head of the research department on human trafficking in the Ministry of Family and Population in Cairo, a number of young Egyptian men marry foreign women in order to escape poverty by emigration or due to a lack of marital demands. In the event of divorce, some of these women are often neglected and not granted their full rights, which stresses the need for these marriages to be better regulated. That is not to say that there aren’t successful examples of intercultural marriages outside of that spectrum, or that racist stereotypes of Egyptian and Arab men are true. Egyptian Streets speaks to five foreign women and delves into their…
‘He Used Me As A Bank’: Stories of Foreign Women Married to Egyptian Men
September 3, 2019
