Even members of the upper classes became influenced by the grassroots revival, and began following the radical teachings of preachers in mosques and on television. As in many Islamic countries, women played a critical role in the religious revivalism. In Egypt, they reacted to the movement and benefited from it. In the early 1970s, the Middle East had the lowest number of women in the workforce outside the home. Today when one visits a government office in Cairo, the majority of workers behind the desks are women.
Women now work in factories, shops, and airline offices.
They are also journalists, doctors, lawyers and engineers. Economists claim the figure is much higher. As women asserted themselves more in the public sphere, they also became active in religious circles. Religion provided them with a social outlet and a way of adding meaning to their lives. By the 1980s, Egyptian women had organized a network of Koran reading sessions inside the homes of their friends.