Divorce rates among Egyptians between the age of 18 and 29 have risen to a whopping 40 percent, according to a report issued by official statistics agency CAPMAS on the occasion of the International Youth Day. The report also noted that 10 percent of this age bracket did not attend school, while 27 percent had not completed their basic education. The age bracket in question comprises some 18.7 million people, accounting for 42.3 percent of the total population, which is almost equally divided between males and females. According to the report, the national unemployment rate has risen to 22 percent, with males accounting for 83.1 percent of the work force and females 16.9 percent. It further noted that some 6 million young Egyptian used computers and 2.4 million used the Internet. Sociologist Azza Karim, for her part, expressed doubt about the official figures. “I'm sure there are many more without jobs and many others that have been laid off,” she said, attributing the high divorce rate in part to unemployment. “Unemployment pushes our young people into illegal migration, crime and drug dealing,” she said, calling on the competent government authorities to work on resolving the problem. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
