The impact of the Arab spring on women in Tunisia

Abstract

This dissertation will give an overview of the status of Tunisian women on a social, economic, legal and political level. These four main areas will be researched both on a historical era during the regime of both President Habib Bourguiba and President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and also how these four main aspects have changed during the Tunisian uprising and how they are continually being changed under the Islamist led government Ennahda in the post Arab Spring era. The rewriting of the draft of the Constitution will also be analysed so as to decipher what amendments have taken place along the writing of the four drafts of the new Tunisian Constitution due to pressure from Tunisian women activists groups. The aim of this research is to provide quantitative data and assess qualitative legal and political policies when it comes to Tunisian women. Legal amendments throughout the past five decades which regard Tunisian women will be analysed in order to assess the impact of the Arab Spring on Tunisian women. This dissertation will also provide insight from people who lived in Tunisia prior, during and after the Tunisian Revolution by conducting interviews and analysing the answers given. One of these interviews was held with Ambassador Vicki Ann Cremona who was the Maltese Ambassador for Tunisia from the year 2009 until 2013. Quantitative data will be given as regards to Tunisian women's employment rates and education rates prior to 2010 in which the Tunisian Revolution started. These statistics will then be compared with the employment rates and education rates from the uprising till today, which will also be given for the years between 2010 and 2013. The main obstacles which Tunisian women faced during the uprising and perhaps unexpectedly post the Tunisian Revolution will be analysed in order to asses to what extent has the Arab Spring been a setback for Tunisian women or otherwise.