For many years, Egyptians believed that large families were a source of pride and security for old age. New family planning policies are trying to reverse that faith in numbers.
Rayes Abdel Nazeer moved to Cairo from the southern province of Minya in the mid-1980s seeking a better life. He has since worked as a doorman in the affluent residential suburb of Hay El Maadi, 7 miles south of Cairo, living with his wife and children in a small, dark basement in the building where he works. His monthly earnings of 1,300 Egyptian pounds ($73) — just above the minimum wage in Egypt — are barely enough to look after his family.
