Marriage for people with disabilities is an often forbidden right in Egypt

A woman in her fifties reflected the struggles faced by people with disabilities in Egypt when it comes to realising their dream of getting marriage. “I suffer from polio and am deprived of marriage,” she said.

This forbidden right is evident when looking at the world of the visually impaired, the deaf and the mute, or amputees, for whom marriage often seems impossible.

According to estimates by Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), a government entity, 10.7 per cent of the total population — approximately 11 million people — live with disabilities. Meanwhile, officials from the National Council for Disability Affairs, another government body, estimate the number to be around 12 million.

The common factor among them is psychological suffering, difficulties in social integration, societal stigma and weak governmental support, all of which intensify the pain they endure through no fault of their own.

Acts of sympathy are evident when dealing with people with disabilities, or “the handicapped”, as they are referred to commonly in Egyptian society, whether their disability is physical or intellectual. Feelings of pity often translate into providing material and financial assistance, or even assuming responsibility for their care. However, when it comes to marrying them, strict social taboos emerge.

Zainab Imad, who was born with partial paralysis, explains that she manages all household tasks using a wheelchair and goes to work daily. Yet, she is haunted by a difficult question: “Who would agree to marry me?”

She explained that when an elderly widower proposed to her, accepting her condition, her family refused the marriage, claiming that she would be unable to fulfil marital duties.

So, I remain alone, with no one to keep me company.

This painful reality differs significantly when the person with a disability is a man, as society tends to be more accepting of him. Mohamed Abdel Halim, who also suffers from polio, recounts being rejected by many women before finally succeeding in marrying someone without a disability.

A woman’s willingness to marry a disabled man, or vice versa, depends on psychological maturity and the ability to break free from social stereotypes, as well as both partners’ belief that a successful marriage is not based on physical perfection, but on strong emotional and spiritual bonds. However, in general, women with disabilities face greater obstacles to marriage than men do in a similar position. Families often object due to concerns about the disabled persons’ ability to bear and raise children, their capacity to shoulder responsibilities, or the possibility of passing on disabilities genetically, according to family and social relations expert Omaima Ali.

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Egyptian hesitation about marrying individuals with disabilities stems from a degrading societal perception linked to “what people will say”. A woman who marries a blind, mute or physically disabled man may face ridicule and bullying from relatives and friends, as these terms are commonly used in everyday conversation.

Often, parents reject such marriages even if the woman herself consents. In some cases, families cite medical warnings about the potential for passing on disabilities to children. They may tell the woman stories repeatedly about other disabled couples whose children were also born with disabilities.

Egyptian families typically prefer that individuals with disabilities marry partners with similar disabilities — for example, a mute person marrying another mute — so that they can better understand each other and avoid one partner feeling superior to the other.

Sharif Mohamed refuses to allow his mute brother to get married, arguing that he would struggle to handle responsibilities in the future and could pass on his condition to his children.

However, Um Abdul Rahman, 55, believes that a disabled person marrying a partner with a similar or different disability significantly increases the chances of a successful marriage. She explains that both partners would have a deeper understanding of each other’s circumstances, fostering a sense of equality that would be difficult to achieve if one partner had a disability and the other did not.

For women with disabilities, especially those with minor impairments, the fear of remaining unmarried often leads them to make compromises.

If a woman reaches her thirties or forties without marrying — a stage at which she is labelled a spinster — she may accept marriage to a severely disabled man. This was the case for Asmaa, who agreed to marry a double amputee. “I accepted him because I was getting older,” she said, “but it is incredibly exhausting to take care of him and assist him with everything.”

Omaima Ali emphasises that for such marriages to succeed, neither partner should feel inferior. Psychological compatibility, family and societal acceptance, and a supportive environment that fosters self-esteem are essential.

Expectations of failure continue to haunt marriages involving people with disabilities, especially given the challenges they face in social integration. Egyptian society insists on treating individuals with disabilities as inferior, depriving them of their right to marriage and childbearing. This issue is more prevalent in urban areas, whereas rural communities are more inclined to encourage marriage for disabled individuals.

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Psychologist and disability specialist Islam Salah highlighted that the integration of disabled individuals faces enormous societal challenges. He cited the case of a visually impaired yet beautiful teacher who, despite the passage of time, remains unmarried because no one is willing to take on the challenge of living with a blind woman.

According to Ihab Fathy, head of the National Union for People of Determination NGO, 80 per cent of six million women with disabilities in Egypt remain unmarried. A government study found that 15.6 per cent of disabled women have never married, compared with 23.4 per cent of disabled men, according to CAPMAS.

The level of disability is a key factor in determining the success of such marriages, particularly as medical and psychological screening methods have advanced to assess the viability of marriage and the likelihood of having healthy children. Some couples may choose to marry without having children, using contraception instead, while receiving training on how to integrate into society.

A study conducted by Dr Magdy Abdel Karim, a professor of education at Tanta University in the Nile Delta, examined 50 families of intellectually disabled individuals. It found that marriage significantly reduced their psychological and behavioural problems. The study reported that of 118 children born to these couples, 70 per cent lead normal lives, 25 per cent experience academic delays, and only five per cent are born with disabilities themselves.

Religious scholar and academic Muhammad Youssef told me that marriage for disabled individuals requires clear mutual consent without deception or concealment of disabilities. The matter must be understood fully, and there should be no obstacles to sexual relations or financial support. If such obstacles exist but the other party still agrees, the marriage is permissible. However, he suggested that it is generally preferable to avoid such marriages, particularly for young couples seeking companionship and a fulfilling marital life.

The religious authorities in Egypt permit marriage for individuals with disabilities, with the decision on childbearing left to medical specialists on a case-by-case basis. According to Dar Al-Ifta, Egypt’s official religious authority, the guardians of disabled individuals must facilitate their marriage if it serves their best interests.

A guardian who unjustifiably delays marriage for a disabled person is considered at fault.

Efforts to encourage marriage for disabled people in Egypt remain timid due to social restrictions and narrow perceptions of their right to marry. Government shortcomings further reinforce these challenges, particularly with the failure to enforce a law mandating that five per cent of public and private sector jobs must be allocated to people with disabilities. In reality, this percentage does not exceed 0.5 per cent, according to Hiba Hagrass, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Egyptian government’s budget allocation for the National Council for Disability Affairs for the 2022/2023 fiscal year was 16.445 million pounds (approximately $325,000). Most of this is spent on staff salaries and daily operational costs, leaving only around 10m pounds ($197,000) for disability care projects. This translates to an annual budget of less than one Egyptian pound per disabled person, which reflects the official status of the council in terms of government priorities.

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