What is Arab Spring?
Arab Spring is democratic uprisings and protests across the Arab society that began in Spring of 2011. It began in Tunisia when a street vendor set himself on fire to protest the government seizing his vegetable stand. Protests then broke out in other Middle Eastern countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Syria, etc. Women quickly became the faces of Arab Spring; delivering speeches, nursing the men, marching, etc.
Post- Arab Spring Accomplishments
Women are now able to:
Vote (Women won the right to vote and run for elected office in Saudi Arabia in 2015.)
Drive (On June 2018, women were able to obtain a driver’s license in Saudi Arabia and were officially allowed to drive without a male guardian present in the vehicle.)
In 2017, Tunisian women were granted the right to marry non-Muslim men. Before, if a non-Muslim man desired to marry a Muslim woman, he had to convert to Islam and prove is conversion.
Sahle
Work Zewde has become the first female president in Ethiopia. One of her main focus is women’s rights and building a “society that rejects the oppression of women.”
Connection To Feminism
Middle Eastern women fought hand in hand with the men during the time of Arab Spring. Women showed Middle Eastern political leaders that they can do more than cook and clean, by speaking out against the horrible leadership and standing up against the brutal government enforcements. After Arab Spring concluded, the real fight for gender equality began. Arab Spring was the initial spark for feminism in the Middle East and women are now able to do things they never thought were possible.