Between Marriage and the Market: Intimate Politics and Survival in Cairo

by Homa Hoodfar

Overview

Homa Hoodfar's richly detailed ethnography provides a rare glimpse into the daily life of Arab Muslim families. Focusing on the impact of economic liberalization policies from 1983 to 1993, she shows the crucial role of the household in survival strategies among low-income Egyptians. Hoodfar, an Iranian Muslim by birth, presents research that undermines many of the stereotypes associated with traditional Muslim women. Their apparent conservatism, she says, is based on rational calculation of the costs and benefits of working within formal and informal labor markets to secure household power. She posits that increasing adherence to Islam and taking up the veil on the part of women has been partially motivated by women's desire to protect and promote their interests both within and beyond households.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520918863
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	04/28/2023
Series:	Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies , #24
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	265
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Homa Hoodfar is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Concordia University.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
GLOSSARY

Introduction
My Early Lessons in Household Economy
Theoretical Framework
Objectives of the Study

1 The Research and Its Social and Physical Setting

Arriving in Cairo
Methodology
The People
The Neighborhoods
The Macro Context: The Making of Egypt's Modern Economy
International Migration
Summary

2 Marriage, Family, and Household

Why Marriage?
Marriage in Its Cultural Context
Choosing a Suitor
Arranged Marriages versus Love Marriages
Marriage Negotiations: Strategies to Reduce Marital Conflicts
Polygynous Marriages 
Summary 

3 In Search of Cash: Men in the Labor Market 

The Rising Need for Cash 
Urban Employment Opportunities 
Male Employment in the Neighborhoods 
Employment Opportunities in the Informal Economy 
Migration as a Cash-raising Strategy 
Cash Contributions from Other Male Members of the Household 
Summary 

4 Women and Employment 

Urban Women in the Labor Market: The Historical View 
The Legal Position of Women in the Labor Market 
Major Issues in Measuring the Female Labor Force in Egypt 
Gainful Employment among the Informants 
Employment in the Formal Sector 
Attitudes Toward Gainful Employment 
The Male View of Women's Paid Work 
Summary 

5 Money Management and Patterns of Household Budgeting 

Financial Arrangements 
Patterns of Budgeting in the Neighborhoods 
Impact of Male Migration on Budgeting 
The Contribution of Women's Wages 
Men's Pocket Money 
Summary 

6 Nonmonetary Contributions to the Household Pool 

Domestic Work 
Domestic Work in the Neighborhoods 
Child-rearing 
Shopping 
Cash-saving Labor
Dealing with Public Institutions
Summary

7 Expenditure and Consumption Patterns

Patterns of Expenditure
Recurrent Expenditures
Rent and Other Miscellaneous Routine
Expenditures
Accumulation of Assets
Financing Methods
Decision Making
Summary

8 Social Networks and Informal Associations

The Saving Associations
Communal Marital and Childbirth
Contributions
Neighborly Networks
Men's Networks
Vertical and Bureaucratic Networks
Kin Networks
Summary

9 Fertility and Sexual Politics

Fertility
Sexuality and Sexual Desire in Everyday Life
Enhancing Children's Sexuality: Why Circumcision?
Summary

Conclusion
REFERENCES
INDEX