selected business news

"The women who guard other women in conservative Egypt"

By: Emmy Varley, AFP

In response to conservative beliefs, successful women in the Arab world looking to hire personal body guards are turning to “ladyguards.” Due to concerns of mixing genders, women have appropriated the position of a bodyguard, learning martial arts like aikido in order to offer protection services to successful female clients such as pop stars, actresses and princesses. The Falcon group - a security company that employs Egyptian ladyguards and was the first to do so in the region’s security sector - has been in practice for three years. The managing director commends Egyptian progress in gender equality noting that Egyptian women are entering a multitude of fields in the business world; while highlighting the fact that employing women in security eases interactions for many women. One ladyguard notes that this position lends her a sense of empowerment and status in a country where she commonly fell victim to gender discrimination or harassment.