The gender agenda in Saudi Arabia and Iran: factors for an international socialization

Abstract

Since the last century, Tunisia has been a source of inspiration for the Arab world in protecting rights and recognising the status of the person. The issue of women's rights has always unfolded at the centre of the country's political, religious and social dialogue: questioned and reaffirmed along with the succession of different conceptions of the state and with the alternation of policies divided between secularism and democratisation, has indeed played a pivotal role throughout the development of the country. The revolution of the Arab Spring is an authentic watershed in Tunisian history and has profoundly changed women's status. After a troubled transition period studded with complex ideological and political compromises, in 2014 a new constitution, incredibly advanced for the rights and the recognition of equality, came into force. The process of implementation of the Charter —not yet completed— is accompanied by the vigilant participation of activists and various movements facing the resistances that —rooted within the country— hinder the effective recognition of constitutional rights. These more or less explicit oppositions are strongly linked to a tradition that, at a social, cultural, political and juridical level, seems difficult to reconcile with the new horizon of rights in which post-revolutionary Tunisia has set itself. This paper aims to identify the root causes of the gap between what is constitutionally recognised and what is found on the social level, taking into consideration the historical and political interweaving of the country and the changing role played by women in articulating moments of continuity and revolution, until today.