“Three successful independent women fight daily against gender stereotypes and work tirelessly towards obtaining the happy life they deserve.” This is the description of the Egyptian series Qawa’ed Al Talaq Al 45 (The 45 Rules of Divorce), which recently aired on the streaming service Shahid. The series is based on the American five-season comedy-drama “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.” My initial thought was to watch the series as it may provide interesting insight into the lives of divorced women in Egypt. Yet, from the first few episodes, I already had my doubts about the series actually portraying what was promised in the synopsis. I waited until the very last episode of the series to finalize my judgment. Unfortunately, I was right: this series only reinforces stereotypes about divorced women in Egypt. According to a 2018 report by Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), one-fifth of marriages in Egypt end in divorce each year, with 40 percent within the first five years of marriage. A survey conducted by Statista in 2021 revealed that Egypt witnessed an increasing trend in the number of divorces between 2008 and 2019. When approaching…
‘Qawa’ed Al Talaq Al 45’ Plays Into Divorce Stereotypes Instead of Breaking Them
February 1, 2022
