A decade later, Jehan helped lead a campaign to reform Egypt’s status law which would go on to grant women new rights to divorce their husbands and retain custody of their children. Despite a backlash from conservative Muslims, in the summer of 1979 President Sadat granted her wish and issued decrees improving the divorce status of women, as well as a second law that set aside 30 seats in parliament for women. These measures, which were later passed through parliament, became known as ‘Jehan’s laws’.
