Returning to reality

The conflicting views on marriage have undoubtedly been a significant factor behind many social ills and imbalances in the structure of the EgyjDtian family. By way of example, one study shows that 39 per cent of women marry men who are related to them, a practice that is closely related to early marriage, with a high rate of childbirth and increased risks of infant mortality and disability (el-Zanaty 1999).

As for marital breakdown, in January 1998 the Central Bureau for National Service and Statistics issued a report showing an annual rate of thirty-three divorces for every ιoo officially registered marriages. The rate was higher in urban areas, at 35 per cent (CBNSS 1998). During periods of economic stability, marital disputes are greatly reduced; one indication of this is the number of personal status cases brought to the first instance courts, particularly divorce and filiation suits, indicating family breakdown. Between 1965 and 1969 there was a decreasing number of such cases, 4,160 in 1965 and 3,735 cases in 1969; however, when Egyptian society entered the period of economic change known as the ‘economic opening’, the subsequent upheavals had an impact on the stability of the Egyptian family, and the number of divorce cases¹⁰ increased, reaching 5,867 in 1975 and going up to 13,295 cases in 1979 (National Centre for Social and Criminal Studies 1985: 672-3).