Lebanon’s 2019 Uprising: A Feminist Uprising or Feminized Media Sensationalism?

Abstract

Lebanon’s October 2019 uprising brought to the forefront women’s rights, to the extent that various groups and media called it a women’s uprising. This study questions the accuracy of media’s portrayal of the protests as a women’s uprising by investigating women’s participation in the uprising. It analyzes data from a survey of media uses and participation in the protests and discusses feminist activists’ observations regarding this media narrative. Findings revealed that men and women largely followed and trusted the same media platforms, and both were equally interested in the protests, but slightly more men than women participated in street protests. However, feminist activists relay a different picture of the uprising and its outcomes as related to women’s rights. Overall, the media portrayal, while not entirely inaccurate, is problematic and does not transparently reflect the unfair reality of Lebanese women’s subjugation.