In a first, a female judge chairs a hearing in Egypt’s top court

In a first, Radwa Helmi on Saturday sat as the first female judge on the bench of Egypt’s state council. It is a top court in the Arab country. Helmi was among the 98 women who were appointed last year to join the council, after a decision by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Women in Egypt have been fighting a battle for years just to secure their rights.

There are hundreds of women lawyers in Egypt. However, it took decades for one to become a judge. The first was Tahany al-Gebaly, appointed in 2003 to Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court.

The head of the National Council for Women (NCW), Maya Morsi said, "The 5th of March has become a new historical day for Egyptian women."

The move comes just few days before the international women's day.

There is no law that stops women from being justices in Egypt. However, the judiciary in country has traditionally been a male preserve.

Women have been marginalised since Egypt's founding as a modern state in the 19th century.They finally gained the right to vote and run for public office in 1956. However, their personal rights were still not in place.

Most women had no authority over their children or their personal lives, as this responsibility was delegated to male guardians, under Islamic sharia-inspired law.

(With inputs from agencies)