CAIRO: A new study by Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) showed that there are 10,000 cases of divorce caused by the age-old preference of having sons over daughters.
In spite of many social changes, the study revealed that the traditional preference for a male child over females has survived the years.
Egyptian men often blame wives for giving birth to girls. Consequently, they tend to leave the family – usually after giving birth to more than two daughters – in order to remarry to eventually bear a son who would carry their name.
According to news reports, the study recorded 1,780 divorces in Cairo for this reason and 1,017 in Alexandria. The numbers double in Upper Egypt.
Many consider a female newborn the start of a life of shame.
