In the past, Egyptians preferred to have male children, especially in rural areas and Upper Egypt. As time progressed, these customs gradually faded, yet it seems they have not disappeared entirely. A girl was compelled to file a lawsuit for alimony against her father, who refused to help prepare for her marriage after abandoning her at birth because she was a "girl." Lawyer Noha El-Gendy stated to Al Arabiya Net that when her client was born 20 years ago, her father abandoned her, rejecting the idea of having "daughters," and told her mother after the birth, "Having daughters is a shame."
The father, who works as a doctor, could not shake off his antiquated beliefs, leaving the home a few months after the child’s birth, divorcing his wife, and refusing to provide financial support for the child. Throughout these years, the mother took on the responsibility of raising the girl while the father provided for his granddaughter, having abandoned his responsibilities, and did not resort to the courts to compel the father for support during those long years. However, when the daughter reached marriageable age, she faced the reality of her financial inability to buy marriage provisions.
The mother was then forced to approach the father, now a prominent ophthalmologist in Cairo, to take responsibility for preparing his daughter. However, the father's response was shocking as he rejected, for the second time, to contribute to his daughter's wedding expenses, stating, "If you were a boy, I would have prepared you."
The lawyer filed a lawsuit for alimony against the father, and the Family Court in Nasr City ruled that the father must pay a monthly alimony of 3,000 Egyptian pounds to his daughter. However, another case is still pending in court to compel the father to contribute to his daughter's wedding expenses.
