OVERVIEW
The Tunisian transition was the first of the Arab Spring protest movements and resulted in a change in government through democratic elections. Women played active roles in all stages of the transition, as protestors, but also as members of the transitional governance process and were active inside and outside negotiation spaces when the new constitution was drawn up. This resulted in agreements and documents that ensured women’s equality as well as their representation in elected bodies. However, the transition has not quelled the economic needs of much of the population, which was a key demand of many protestors. This highlights a class-based inequality that will shape the opportunities women have for participation in Tunisia’s political and economic spaces. There is now also a wider space for Islamist factions to vocalise their vision of Tunisia, often at odds with feminist groups as well as historic gains the women’s movement has made. This tension is echoed in many post-Arab Spring states.
