She Had to Dress Up Like a Man For 46 Years to Support His Family. Meet Egypt’s Strongest Breadwinner

Bravery. Ingenious. Strength to beat the odds and turn them around: Sisa Abu Daooh exceeds in merits to be recognized as a model Egyptian woman. After her husband passed away when she was only 21 years old, the woman dressed up as a man for 46 years to support her newly born daughter.

“I preferred working in hard labor like lifting bricks and cement bags and cleaning shoes to begging in the streets in order to earn a living for myself and for my daughter and her children,” she told Al-Arabiya.

The woman, who is now 64 years old, comes from Luxor, Upper Egypt, where the local culture considered it a taboo for women to work, especially in areas considered for men. From polishing shoes, to construction and agriculture, Sisa carved her way out of difficulties in a variety of jobs in which she wore a loose robe known as “jilbab” with a white turban.

Now polishing shoes, Sisa was recognized by the Social Solidarity Directorate of Luxor with the  “woman breadwinner” award for her years of hard work providing for her daughter and her grandchildren.