CAIRO: Exasperated by the pressures of a society obsessed with marriage and the production of children, a young Egyptian woman has come to the rescue of her country’s stigmatised spinsters.

In the hope of changing the prejudices suffered by the unmarried and to shed light on the difficulties of being a woman in a patriarchal society, Yomna Mokhtar set up “Spinsters for Change” about six months ago.

The group came to life on the Internet’s social networking website Facebook, which has become a platform for a plethora of social protests in Egypt, and the 27-year-old’s group now has more than 550 members.

“Society takes a very negative view of unmarried people. It puts great pressure on them and marginalises them” if they don’t marry, Mokhtar, her face framed by an Islamic headscarf, told AFP.

In the conservative country where religion is omnipresent, getting married is an obligation for Christians and Muslims alike.

Islamic associations regularly organise mass weddings for those who lack the considerable funds needed for their own lavish ceremony, with the aim of avoiding so-called “deviant” behaviour – extramarital relations or homosexuality.

Even though they may hold down regular jobs or are studying, unmarried women in Egypt are seen as incomplete, said Mokhtar, stressing the “psychological suffering” endured by some of her single friends.

The age by which a woman is expected to be married depends on her social class and education. Women from wealthier families or at university are often given a brief reprieve, but as the age of 30 approaches snide remarks increase.

“Women are taught from birth that their ultimate aim is to marry and have children,” said Mokhtar. “Even if people just started saying ‘this negative view of unmarried people, is this fair?’ – that would be progress.”

According to sociologist Madiha el-Safty, an Egyptian woman’s role is traditionally limited to that of wife and mother.

“Everyone hates to have an unmarried woman in the family,” she said. “A single woman is frowned upon by society. People ask if there’s something wrong with her.”

Mokhtar said that media interest in her group and the fact that married couples and bachelors have also joined it are signs of a small initial shift in society.—AFP