"How this Egyptian woman overcame roadblocks to become a mechanic"

[Debater Slayer]

How a woman challenged the strongly male-dominated, conservative culture of Upper Egypt to pursue her dream job.

Luckily, Kholy's family, particularly her father, supported her decision and showed her the ropes of the profession. "I was learning something new every day. My father taught me how to accurately detect and diagnose car faults. I started practically fixing cars four years ago," she said.

In Luxor's closed society, Kholy's decision to become a mechanic has raised many eyebrows and has been showered with sharp criticism. Nevertheless, Kholy insisted on pursuing a career of her own choice, defying the cultural restrictions in Upper Egypt. "You should not work and slide under cars in front of men … this is a manly job. … There are physical threats. These cliches were haunting me every day. But, as my father was by my side, I turned a deaf ear and this criticism did not make sense to me," she said. "Conversely, I took such criticism as an incentive."

In a third-world country, pursuing one's career of choice can sometimes be a very daunting task. In a conservative, patriarchal third-world country, a woman's doing so is even more of a remarkable feat worthy of admiration.

Hats off to an example that proves there is still hope even in the most difficult of cultural and social circumstances.

 

[Revoltingest]

It's an abomination!
Next thing you know, women will want to drive cars too.

 

[dust1n]

It's an abomination!
Next thing you know, women will want to drive cars too.

Next thing you know, they want an Equal Rights Amendment.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Its inspiring. I remember this was a problem in USA until WWII was taking so many men away that we had no choice but to start hiring women for manufacturing jobs.

 

[Rival]

Damn I wish I were smart enough to become something useful. All I can do is write ****ty novels.

Oh well.

Good for her.