A minority within a minority: A history of women in the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox and Evangelical churches (1854--present)

From 1854 to the present, Egyptian Evangelical and Coptic Orthodox women have gained a variety of new leadership roles within their respective churches. The reason for the expansion of their roles within their minority communities can be traced to several factors: innovations in female education and employment in the Evangelical Church by foreign missionaries and a subsequent counter-reformation movement in the Orthodox Church; the improvement of female education and vocational opportunities in the public sphere and the gradual permission of the Churches to grant women responsibilities commensurate with their qualifications; and the desire among the Christian population to create a minority social sphere parallel to that of the mainstream Egyptian society. In general, whenever the Evangelical or Orthodox Church expanded its activities and the scope of its services, women were able to take advantage of this expansion to secure new roles and responsibilities for themselves. Certain restrictions on women's leadership remain in both the Evangelical and Coptic Orthodox Churches. Despite these restrictions, however, Christian women have become increasingly visible and influential leaders within their Churches over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.