CAIRO: Attitudes towards women holding senior positions such as president, prime minister, governor, People's Assembly or Shoura Council speaker or judge, have slightly shifted, a recent study revealed. The poll was conducted by the Cabinet Information & Decision Support Center's Public Opinion Unit as a comparative study about women's status in the Egyptian society. The results of the study were compared to previous studies conducted annually since 2006. It showed that 71 percent of males and 43 percent of females are against a female president, compared to 82 percent and 67 percent in 2006. Moreover, 59 percent of males and 25 percent of females are against a female prime minister compared to 61 percent and 42 percent in 2006. The study surveyed the opinions of 986 respondents, divided equally between men and women above 18 years old, through phone interviews. Fifty-five percent of respondents came from rural areas. The percentage of men against female judges on the other hand increased from 48 percent in 2006 to 55 percent, over 60 percent of whom are university graduates and from higher economic status. Moreover, the number of male respondents against female parliament members increased from 17 percent in 2006 to 31 percent in 2010. Since 1957, 125 female MPs were elected while another 19 were appointed; the number of seats given to women is set to increase to 64 seats in the next parliamentary elections based on the amendment of law number 38 for the year 1972 limiting competition in 64 constituencies to women only. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents attributed their rejection to women holding senior positions to incompetency; while 25 percent attributed it to women's inability to endure work conditions in these posts and 19 percent said women are emotional rather than rational in decision making. Regarding women's social role, 95 percent of male respondents said it's important for a woman to finish secondary education, 81 percent said it's important for her to participate in family decisions while 79 percent said it's important for women to vote in elections, as opposed to 93 percent in 2006. Eighty-seven percent of males and 78 percent of females said it's better for a woman to stay at home if economic conditions allow her to. According to the report, the percentage of male respondents encouraging women's participation in public and family life witnessed a decline in the 2010 survey.
