Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
What does '99% of Egyptian women' mean?
Executive Summary
The phrase "99% of Egyptian women" stems from a 2013 UN Women study that reported 99.3% of surveyed Egyptian girls and women experienced sexual harassment at least once in their lifetime; the figure functions as a shorthand for that study’s finding and not a literal census of every woman in Egypt [1] [2]. Multiple outlets and analyses have repeated this statistic to illustrate the pervasive nature of sexual harassment, while other official figures and later surveys report substantially lower or differently framed rates, making the statistic contested and dependent on methodology, definitions, and sampling [3] [4] [5].
1. Why journalists and commentators keep citing “99%” — The UN study behind the headline
The widely cited 99.3% figure originates from the UN Women “Study on Ways and Methods to Eliminate Sexual Harassment in Egypt” [6], which surveyed girls and women and found virtually all respondents reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment in their lifetimes. Media outlets and policy analyses have used the “99%” shorthand to convey the study’s finding about the prevalence of harassment across public spaces such as streets, markets, malls, and transit, and to signal the scale of the social problem described by UN researchers [1] [2]. The statistic’s rhetorical power derives from its near‑universality; sources explain the figure as a summary of empirical survey results rather than a literal statement that every Egyptian woman has been harassed. The original UN study also details that the most common forms reported were verbal abuse and non‑consensual touching, underlining the range of behaviors captured by the survey’s definition of harassment [7].
2. What the 99% actually measured — definitions, scope, and methodology matter
The 99.3% finding reflects the responses of a surveyed sample and depends on how sexual harassment was defined, what behaviors were counted, and respondents’ willingness to report incidents. The UN study’s scope included verbal harassment (whistling, comments), non‑consensual physical contact, stalking, and exposure; it also found high rates for specific behaviors such as inappropriate touching among those reporting harassment [7] [3]. The figure therefore captures lifetime experience of a wide range of unwanted conduct rather than only violent assault. Interpreters caution that survey design, question wording, and the cultural context of disclosure shape prevalence estimates; the 99.3% number is a reflection of survey responses under those conditions, not an incontrovertible national prevalence rate independent of method [1] [3].
3. The pushback: alternative numbers and why they differ
Critics and other institutional figures have produced much lower percentages, creating dispute over what the “99%” shorthand implies. For example, national estimates published by some Egyptian bodies at later dates reported substantially lower percentages—figures that appear to stem from different survey designs, narrower definitions of harassment, or administrative records [4]. Analysts and commentators note that the wide divergence is not simply about bad faith; it reflects genuine methodological differences—sampling strategies, age groups surveyed, whether lifetime versus recent incidents were counted, and social stigma affecting disclosure. Some pieces argue that focusing solely on the headline number obscures shifts over time, differences by age cohort, and the relative prevalence of verbal versus physical forms of harassment [4] [5].
4. What the UN study and follow‑up accounts said about where and how harassment happens
The UN study and subsequent reporting emphasized that harassment in Egypt is ubiquitous across public spaces and takes many forms: verbal harassment, catcalling, stalking, groping, and mass assaults where women are encircled and assaulted by groups. The study reported very high incidence of specific behaviors among those who experienced harassment and found that bystanders often did not intervene, a pattern echoed in multiple case studies and journalism documenting mass sexual assault incidents [7] [3]. These sources highlight that the problem is not confined to a single setting but occurs in streets, public transit, markets, and social gatherings, complicating prevention and enforcement efforts that focus on narrow venues.
5. Where things stand now: legal reforms, reported trends, and remaining uncertainties
Since the UN study, Egypt has enacted legal changes criminalizing sexual harassment and launched awareness campaigns, and some later surveys report lower headline rates—while other targeted studies indicate persistent high exposure among younger women or specific locales. Commentators stress that real progress depends on consistent data, prevention, attitude change, and effective enforcement rather than relying solely on punitive measures; different sources disagree on whether streets are measurably safer, reflecting variations in data and perspective [5] [4]. The takeaway is that the “99%” figure remains a powerful indicator of the scale of the problem as documented in 2013, but interpreting what it means for current conditions requires attention to method, timeline, and which behaviors are being counted [2] [1].