An Egyptian widow lived her life as a man for 43 years so she could earn enough money to support her children and grandchildren , it has been revealed . Sisa Abu Daooh , 65 , was six months pregnant with her first child and living in a highly conservative community in the city of Luxor when her husband died . Unable to support her family as a 21-year-old single mother and unwilling to marry a man she did n't love , Abu Daooh decided to shave her head , dress herself as a man and seek employment - first as a brick-maker and then as a shoe-shiner once she got older . Scroll down for video . Most devoted mother : Over the weekend Sisa Abu Daooh , 65 , ( left ) even met Egypt 's president , Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ( right ) to receive an award marking 40- years of self-sacrifice . Free from the threat of sexual harassment , Abu Daooh enjoyed her life as a man so much that even though she has now revealed her true gender , she says she will continue to spend the rest of her life as a man . Free from the threat of sexual harassment , Abu Daooh enjoyed her life as a man so much that even though she has now revealed her true gender , she says she will continue to spend the rest of her life living and dressing as a man . 'My brothers wanted me to get married again ... all the time they kept bringing new grooms to me , ' she told Gulf News Egypt . However Abu Daooh decided she could not marry somebody she did n't love and set about shaving her head and purchasing loose-fitting male clothing in order to become the breadwinner herself . The decision shocked and angered her family , but Abu Daooh ignored their pleas to remarry and instead set herself up as a brick-maker . By her own account she was as 'strong as 10 men ' in her 20s and 30s , but as she got older her strength began to fade and she started a new business , this time as a shoe-shiner . Sacrifice : Pictured left is a woman believed to be Abu Daooh 's daugher . The mother ( pictured right ) was just 21-years-old and six months pregnant with her first child when her husband died . No other option : Unable to support her family as a 21-year-old single mother and unwilling to marry a man she did n't love , Abu Daooh decided to shave her head , dress herself as a man and seek employment . Abu Daooh 's decision to live as a man was made purely so she could support her young daughter . 'When a woman lets go of her femininity , it 's hard . But I would do anything for my daughter . It was the only way to make money . What else could I do ? I ca n't read or write - my family did n't send me to school - so this was the only way , ' she said . She had initially planned to give up the disguise as soon as her daughter married , but unfortunately her son in law fell seriously ill shortly after the wedding and was unable to seek employment . As time went by she grew to enjoy spending time around men and drinking at the local male-dominated cafes without suffering she kind of sexual harassment she claims she would have experienced if she was living openly as a woman . Despite this , Abu Daooh says she never actually lied about her gender and never denied being a woman if she was asked . She also says that a large number of people in Luxor always knew she was a woman and called her by a feminine name - and that the disguise was largely to avoid attracting abuse or prejudice from strangers or people who did not know her well . Now Abu Daooh has been given an award for her sacrifice , with Luxor 's local government naming her the city 's most devoted mother . Over the weekend she met Egypt 's president , Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to receive an award marking 40-years of self-sacrifice .
Sisa Abu ##eva , 65 , was six months pregnant when her husband died . As she lived in a strict Luxor household , she was n't afraid to take a job . The 21-year - old single mother decided to to pretend she was a man . She shaved her head and wore loose clothing to convince her employers . Worked as a brick - ##layer and a shoe - shiner for 43-years before retiring . hopefully she will continue to live as a woman although she no longer needs to .