Egyptian woman wins Best Mom award after dressing like a man to support her family

(Image credit: Twitter.com/AreisG)

published 23 March 2015

An Egyptian woman who had to dress like a man in order to find work and provide for her family has been named the most devoted mother in Luxor.

In the early 1970s, Sisa Abu Daooh's husband died when she was pregnant. She decided she would support her daughter on her own, but there was a big problem: Labor jobs were for men only, and Abu Daooh was unable to read or write, making her ineligible for office work. Going against her family, Abu Daooh shaved her head, donned men's robes, and began making bricks, harvesting wheat, and shining shoes.

The sacrifice was worth it. "When a woman lets go of her femininity, it's hard," Abu Daooh said. "But I would do anything for my daughter. It was the only way to make money. What else could I do?" Dressing like a man worked out well for her, she said, as she never had to deal with sexual harassment and could hang out with men at coffee shops. Abu Daooh did not hide the fact that she was a woman, and most people call her "Umm Hoda," or "Hoda's mom."

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In addition to the award she received on Sunday from President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Abu Daooh was also given a kiosk to run for extra income, The Guardian reports. The honor came at a good time, as she's supporting a new generation: Her daughter's husband is sick and can't work, so she's taking care of the entire family. Abu Daooh said that 40 years after making her decision, she has no intention of changing her ways. "I have decided to die in these clothes," she said. "I've got used to it. It's my whole life and I can't leave it now."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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