Firsts for Egyptian women

On International Women’s Day, Mada Masr puts forward a list of firsts for Egyptian women. From sports to politics, here are some of the first women to achieve significant landmarks.

1930 – Hilana Sedarous becomes Egypt’s first female doctor

Born in 1904, Hilana Sedarous was not only Egypt’s first female doctor, but was also one of Egypt's first female students sent to study in England, according to the Coptic Medical Society. She studied medicine in London and became a licensed doctor in 1930. She went on to work at the Kitchener Hospital before becoming the first Egyptian woman to open her own private clinic. She continued to practice until her 70s.

1933 – Lotfia al-Nadi becomes Egypt's first female pilot

Loftia al-Nadi had to fight hard to become Egypt’s first female pilot. Her family did not approve of her learning how to operate aircraft, so she took lessons in secret and financed the education herself. She first attempted to get journalist Ahmed al-Sawi to help her get into aviation classes, but he refused without permission from her father. Nadi then went directly to the director of EgyptAir, Kamel Elwi, who agreed to let her take classes provided she covered the cost of them by working as the secretary and call operator of the academy.

Nadi became a celebrity after becoming the first Egyptian woman to get a pilot’s license in 1933. Her success inspired dozens of other women to attend aviation school and become pilots themselves.

1956 and 1957 – Rawya Attiya becomes the first female officer in the Armed Forces, then first female parliamentarian

Rawya Attiya achieved two significant firsts in her lifetime. In 1956, she became the first female officer in the Egyptian Armed Forces. She was commissioned as an officer with the Liberation Army and played a significant part in the Suez War, in which she helped train 4,000 women in first aid and nursing. During her time in the Armed Forces, Attiya achieved the rank of captain and earned several military awards, including the medal of the Armed Forces.

A year after joining the military, Attiya became the first female parliamentarian in the Arab world. During her time in office, Attiya championed women’s rights, implementing a mandatory two-month maternity leave with full pay for female workers, among other things.

1962 – Hikmat Abu Zeid becomes the first female Cabinet member

Hikmat Abu Zeid became the social affairs minister in 1962, making her the first woman to join Egypt's Cabinet. Abu Zeid was a devout Nasserist and member of the Arab Socialist Union, the state’s sole political party at the time.

Her time in office was controversial, as she helped oversee some of Nasser’s land resettlement programs, including the forced resettlement of thousands of Nubians displaced by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Many Nubians still suffer from the effects of this decision.

2008 – Eva Habeel becomes the first female mayor

Eva Habeel beat five other male candidates when she was appointed as the first Egyptian female mayor of Komboha an Upper Egypt village near Assiut. Habeel was a member of the state-affiliated National Democratic Party (NDP), and her father had been mayor of the village ahead of her.

2013 – Caroline Maher becomes the first Arab woman to be inducted into the Taekwondo hall of fame

Caroline Maher was the Arab woman to be inducted into the Taekwondo hall of fame, one of the biggest honors in the sport. In 2011, Maher was ranked as 11th in the world by the World Taekwondo Federation’s World Ranking. A prodigious athlete, Maher has collected 130 trophies from 38 countries.

She also works with the charity organization Helm, which helps disabled people with educational, work and sports goals.

2015 – Raneem al-Welily becomes the world number 1 squash champion

Raneem al-Welily was the first Egyptian woman to become the world’s number 1 squash champion, taking the title from Nicol David, who had held it for nine years. Egypt is currently doing very well in the squash rankings, with five Egyptian women among the top 10 players in the sport worldwide.

2015 – Sarah Samir becomes first female football referee for male teams

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) made Sarah Samir the first female football referee for male teams in 2015. She refereed a match between Wadi Degla and Talaea al-Geish football clubs in the Egyptian Football League’s third division.

Social media praised the EFA’s decision to appoint Samir as the referee, with many users saying that they hoped this was a sign there would be more female referees at football matches in the future. Samir began refereeing football matches in 2007 and mostly officiates youth matches and lower division games.