See A Single Mom Who Lives As a Man For Good 43 Years To Support Her Family

Abu Daooh's husband died while she was pregnant. Daooh spent the next 43 years disguised as a man so she could take jobs to feed her child. The Egyptian government will be honoring her sacrifice, Al Arabiya Net reports. Daooh spoke out about her story last year on local television networks.

Daooh, now 64, dressed in traditional Egyptian men's clothing so she could work polishing shoes and doing construction. "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 says. At the time, it was very difficult for women to get jobs, especially any kind that involved manual labor. "To protect myself from men and the harshness of their looks and being targeted by them due to traditions, I decided to be a man," says Daooh.

Even though her daughter, Houda, is now married, her husband is ill and cannot work. So Daooh continues to polish shoes to support her daughter and grandchildren. It's because of this that the Social Solidarity Directorate of Luxor is giving her the "Woman Breadwinner" award. In response, Daooh humbly said, "Thanks to everyone who has helped me. I hope to see Egypt in a better situation."