Critical Study of Research Work on Women and Children , Egypt ( 1 ) Under the title , " Women and Child Welfare : A Critical Study "

From Dr. Khoury, we moved to Dr. Layla Ne'meh, Associate Professor of Physics at BUC. She earned a "Diplome d'Etudes Approfondies" in Mathematics from the Sorbonne, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Utah State University in 1975. Dr. Ne'meh stated that it is difficult for Lebanese secondary school girl graduates to pursue a career in Science. She explained that because Science has not been a part of the traditional education of women here, families tend to discourage it. She gave herself as an example, saying that only after a struggle could she convince her parents to allow her to pursue a major in a scientific discipline. Dr. Ne'meh stressed that a knowledge of science entails more than a knowledge of the mathematics and scientific material. She offered the view that the spirit of scientific curiosity, keen observation, rational thinking, objectivity, truthfulness and readiness to acknowledge one's mistakes, should be cultivated in students from the earliest years and that this spirit should infuse not only science courses but courses in all disciplines. She stated her belief that the development of scientific thinking is the basis of true citizenship. She concluded from this belief that if our leaders and administrators were to be trained in this scientific spirit, they would then become more honest in their dealings and more objective in their judgments. About the Natural Science Division, Dr. Ne'meh gave the following information: There are around 15 full-time and part-time professors, four of whom are females. Lab facilities are limited, due to budget cuts, but the computers are reasonably good. Because of budget problems and the situation in Lebanon, Professors are not able to do much research here. I n order to engage in serious research, they must go abroad. Dr. Ne'meh believes that the Natural Science Division should strive to keep good standards. It should also strive to .serve the needs of our society by offering new areas of concentration. For example, one field that Lebanon needs is Science Education. Our schools lack good science educators. A B.S. in Chemistry or in Biology does not adequately prepare a person to be a science teacher; an emphasis on education is necessary. Commenting on the government's ability to encourage scientific research, Dr. Ne'meh said: "Yes the government can encourage research if it succeeds in cutting off unnecessary expenditures and in eliminating commercial private schools, the so-called "free schools" which extort government aid to realize illegal profits." Finally. asked if she thinks a woman can be both homemaker and paid professional she said: "Yes, she simply must be resourceful".

I. Studies about the traditional status of women in society.
Few studies deal with woman's status in rural areas. One such study states that there is a certain regression in girls' schooling and a higher proportion of illiteracy in those areas; however, th is statement is not supported with statistical indices.
Mrs. Morcos recommends that there be further research, and that this research aim at generating more information on health, nutrition, living conditions and women's participation in development.
One anthropological study of relations between mother and child in rural areas and methods of child upbringing at the early stage emphasizes a number of superstitions related to this function, for example, dressing the child in shabby clothes to ward off jealousy and the evil eye.
II. Studies of the social status of women reveal a definite progress in girls' education (in urban areas), but that progress has lagged behind (Continued on page 4) that of boys' education. Their proportion is only 25% of that of the latter in higher education, 38% in elementary schools. The social effects of girls' education have not been analyzed.
A few studies show a certain bias in recommending the restriction of women's specialization to fields appropriate to their "nature".
Studies analyzing class or environmental influences make no distinction between rural and urban women. These studies also overlook the effect of regional training.
Other neglected topics: -factors that impede woman's education; -Impact of girls' education on family life and child upbringing, including marriage age and the ferti I ity rate.

III. Woman's Participation in Economic Life
Studies show an increase in the number of working women between 1952 and 1972, but they fail to point out the proportion of working women to the total number of working-age women, and the proportion of working women to the whole labor force.
One study shows the role of ideological currents, such as Nasserism, in promoting woman's work and in establishing laws to govern that work.
The method of social history is applied in two studies dealing with the evolution of woman's work. They mention the first participation of women in the "Workers' Union" in 1928 and the promulgation of the first law regarding the protection of working women in 1933. But the conditions of woman's work before those dates are not considered.
None of these studies explores the issue of woman's working rights within the framework of the following criteria: Equal pay for equal work. -Equal opportunity for promotion. -A higher promotion of women in the field of technical and scientific employment.
-A labor code ensuring women proper protection during pregnancy and adequate means for child care during their absence.

IV. Sociology of Working Women
Most studies use the statistical method to show the number of working women at different ages, the rate of their persistence and the influence of marriage on their work.
Statistics show the rising percentage of educa-4 ted working women, particularly in technical, administrative and scientific employment. A falling percentage in the industrial sector is noticed but not explained. The influence of urbanization, industrialization, fertility and emigration on woman's work has been overlooked. Also overlooked has been the influence of woman's work on her personality, on her relations with society, with her employers and her colleagues. Two studies, however, state that an urban woman gives work the primacy over marriage; while the contrary is true of a village woman. Another study describes the struggle that a working woman has to go through because of competition, social stereotypes and unequal status in the family.
According to one researcher, a woman's work strengthens her morale and enhances her position in the family. We should add here that woman's work will not enhance her position in the family unless the following four conditions are fulfilled: a. The husband's participation in housework. b. The utilization of technological methods to alleviate domestic chores.
c. Women's sharing in family plans and decisions. d. A change in familY status from despotic and traditional to democratic and equalitarian.
Influence of Woman's Work on her Family: a. Reduced fertil ity; b. Tendency to use modern methods in bringing up her children; c. Better adjustment by her children to their environment than by children of non-working women; d. Children are more ready to approve of woman's work outside the home.

V. Women's Participation in Political Life
In 1956, Egyptian women obtained the right to vote and to run for parliamentary elections. In 1962, the first woman minister was appointed, but in the judicial field women have no representation. Their political influence is highly limited. Their participation in electoral campaigns is very low; the same is true of their representation in socialist committees. None of the studies try to identify the causes of their political retardation, even though the issue is a crucial one. Women's presence is needed in the legislative departments, where they could more effectively plead in favor of their