Mother, daughter and doctor: Medical professionals and mothers' decision-making about FGM/C in Egypt

The medicalization of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) has moved a domain of women’s health that was once under female family control to one that increasingly involves consultation between mothers and doctors.  In countries such as Egypt, where medicalization has been associated with declining prevalence of FGM/C, this has opened up a new realm of influence for medical professionals.  This paper draws on a mixed-methods study of FGM/C in Egypt to examine the role of consultations between mothers and doctors in the perpetuation of the practice.

Data are drawn from a survey of 410 mothers of young daughters in an urban and a rural location.  The survey addressed mothers’ decision-making regarding the circumcision of their daughters, including the role of medical professionals and personal networks. Follow-up in-depth interviews were conducted with 29 of the respondents.

A large percentage of mothers reported consulting a medical professional in deciding whether or not to circumcise their daughters.  Demand for this consultation is created by the perception that circumcision is medically recommended for some girls.  Mothers report medical professionals deciding whether or not to recommend circumcision based on a physical examination of the girl; high levels of trust in the advice of doctors results in substantial accordance between the doctor’s recommendation and actual circumcision.  These findings suggest that greater sensitization of medical professionals, not only illegalization, is necessary in order to further reduce the practice of FGM/C.  An important step in this direction is the development of a curriculum on FGM/C in national medical schools.