Female genital mutilation: a descriptive study.

Female circumcision is one of the tradition still practiced in Egypt. It is a custom related to morals. In order to study its practice in Sharkia governorate, mothers of 352 girls between the ages of 14 and 16 years were interviewed. Results showed that 97.2% of girls in rural areas were circumcised, compared with 81.9% of the girls in urban areas. Of the various factors studied, we found that mothers aged 40 years and older, those married before the age of 20 years, housewives, illiterate mothers, and those living in rural areas more significantly practiced daughter circumcision. Regression analysis revealed that the level of the fathers' education and the area of residence were the most significant factors influencing this practice. Fathers' illiteracy and rural residence were the factors most responsible for its continuation.