Introduction

Although Egyptian women in recent decades have witnessed significant progress in improving their status, key obstacles continue to exist for them in participating in the labour market. The situation is particularly worrisome for female university graduates whereby less than one third are engaged in work. Using qualitative data, this research brings together evidence on the structural and cultural limitations that hinder women’s engagement in the labour market, and their ability to balance their work and domestic roles after marriage. Carried out between 2010 and 2017, the study reveals the cultural and societal pressures and expectations of marriage, education and gender performance, and how this affects women’s employment status in urban Egypt. The research also provides insight into Egypt’s increasingly biased education and labour market systems and the significant barriers that highly educated women face to attain decent work.