Reforming Egypt’s divorce laws

In 1979, Egypt’s former first lady Jehan Sadat helped lead a campaign to grant women new rights to divorce their husbands and retain custody of their children.

Married to President Anwar Sadat, she wanted to play a more active role than the wives of previous leaders and told her husband it was his duty to make Egypt more equal for women.

After some persuasion, he issued decrees improving the divorce status of women despite facing a backlash, and these became known as “Jehan's laws”.

Produced and presented by Reena Stanton-Sharma.

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(Photo: Jehan Sadat in 1975. Credit: Hilaria McCarthy/Daily Express/Hulton Archive via Getty Images)