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Key Topics: gender, empowerment, transport, accessibility, social justice
I hold a BA majoring in political science with a double minor in economics and development studies from the American University in Cairo, as well as an MSc in Urban Economic Development from UCL. I was born and raised in Cairo, and over the course of my career as a community development practitioner there I have worked at several local NGOs, development consultancy firms and the Egyptian Ministry for Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements. Currently in London I work part-time as an investment assistant at an organisation in that offers financial and technical assistance to social enterprises in the Middle East.
As an MPhil/PhD student at the DPU, the aim of my research is to examine the impact of transport accessibility on the socio-economic participation of women living in Cairo’s informal settlements. Studies conducted around the world have shown that unequal gender relations in the household and city scale are reflected in unequal transport accessibility levels of women and men. However, studies on the topic offer little on implications. Thus, my objective is to conduct research that explores and compares the levels of socio-economic participation of women and men and the opportunities of the city offered to them in accordance to their varying levels of transport accessibility. In the process the research has the potential to uncover an overlooked factor affecting female levels of poverty, empowerment and well-being, and shed light on the significance of accounting for gender based differences in planning in a city where gender inequality is greatly pronounced.