Profile: Hoda Sha'rawi

Hoda Sha'rawi was an early pioneer of the feminist movement in Egypt and the Arab world.

Sha'rawi (1879-1947) was an advocate of equality for women and was among the few women who joined the national resistance against the British occupation of Egypt.

She served as the head of the first women's society in Egypt and was elected vice-president of the International Women's Association and president of the Arab Women's Association.

Her major achievements:

- Formed the Wafd Party's Central Committee on Women, which was in charge of supervising women's participation in the national movement at that time

- Advocated the education of girls and equal opportunities for women in education and employment

- Led the first women's demonstration in Egypt in 1919

- Founded the Egyptian Women's Union in 1923

- Presented the major problems facing Egyptian women during a conference in Paris in 1924

- Played a prominent role in lobbying for a law that raised the age of marriage to 16 for girls and 18 for men in 1924

- Advocated the opening of secondary schools for girls in 1924, leading to the opening of Al Saniyya Secondary School for girls; and advocated the admission of girls into university

- Founded two magazines, namely, L'Egyptienne in French, 1925 and Al Misrya in Arabic, both specialising in women's issues

- Nominated vice-president of the International Women's Association in 1937

- Formed the Arab Women's Association in 1944 to discuss the Palestine issue, which is a source of pride for Arab women given that the Association was founded prior to the League of Arab States

- Represented Egypt in 1945, together with Iza Nabarawi and Esmat Assem, and called for the prevention of nuclear weapons, particularly in the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima

- Egypt State Information Service, "Women in Politics", which is available at: http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Women/politics/