The development of women’s rights and feminism in Tunisia; from the 1956 independence to the presidency of Kais Saied

Abstract

This paper seeks to answer how women’s rights and feminism have developed in Tunisia since its independence in 1956 from France. It finds that there are disagreements in how to define feminism and Islamic feminism, and that these disagreements have led to a stagnation of the development of an independent feminist movement in Tunisia. It also finds that women’s rights and reforms to family law in Tunisia have evolved from a top-down approach. Women’s advocacy increased during the Jasmine Revolution and in its aftermath, but these developments have been reversed under the presidency of Kais Saied.