The behavioral economist\u2019s paper<\/a> \u2014 \u201cAttitudes towards Islamic inheritance: religious or patriarchal preferences?\u201d \u2014 explored whether it is Islamic belief or cultural norms that underpin such attitudes toward gender inequality.<\/p>\n Rabie says the North African nation uses Sharia law<\/a> \u2014 derived from Islam\u2019s holy book, the Quran, and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad \u2014 as the basis of its family legislation.<\/p>\n According to Sharia law, a daughter can inherit 50% of what a son receives when a parent dies. If there is no male heir, then the next blood relation of the deceased, such as a brother or sister, would be in line to receive a share of the inheritance along with any daughters.<\/p>\n Rabie explains that in Egypt, a Sunni Muslim-majority country, parents who have no male offspring have been known to hand down assets to their daughters during their lifetime to ensure the wealth remains within the immediate family. They do this using gifts rather than wills, as it is harder to legally challenge, she adds.<\/p>\n \t\t\t During the research, 231 adult Muslims \u2014 83% of whom reported holding non-conservative religious beliefs \u2014 took part in an online experiment.\u00a0A total of 41% of respondents were women and 90% were university educated.<\/p>\n They were asked whether they were for or against hypothetical inheritance situations in which fathers acted in four different ways to ensure their daughters received a larger share of inheritance than they ordinarily would under Sharia law. In two of the scenarios, Islamic law was circumvented altogether; in the other two, it was followed in part.<\/p>\n![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Dina-Rabie.jpg\")
Behavioral economist Dina Rabie wants to draw attention to \u2018deeply rooted\u2019 gender discrimination in Muslim countries\t\t<\/p>\n