We often talk about how society enforces harmful gender roles on young women pressuring them to succumb to a life at home with the kids and killing their ambitions of achieving more. We often talk about how society’s norms destroy the grand plans young women have for their dreams. We often label women as the victims of what an unequal society deems ‘the right path’. But how often do we ask ourselves: Do women in Egypt actually want equality? The answer might seem fairly obvious. In a country where, according to The World Bank’s most recent gender statistics, women make up only 24.2 percent of the total labor force, it seems outrageous to suggest that women have a share in perpetrating this scale of inequality. But, how will gender equality be achieved in the labor market if the women themselves aren’t interested in pursuing successful careers in order to achieve higher goals? A lot of people might say that women in Egypt are stopped from pursuing their ambitions because of society’s pressures. However, it’s important to understand that how women perceive their own social roles affects how much they are…
