Women and Urban Governance in the Arab World: Case Studies from the MENA Region

Arab societies have undergone political ruptures and social transformations that have resulted in mobilisations identified or associated with emblematic squares or places. Demonstrations in Cairo, Tunis and other Arab cities are spectacular illustrations of this. The demands are as much about overcoming authoritarian regimes as they are about the equal consideration of women and men in order to establish political systems based on a symmetry of status. Women have indeed marked their presence on the political and media scene. They have shown their ability to organise themselves into networks for the respect of their rights and against all forms of violence and social or political discrimination against them, even if in many Arab countries they remain underrepresented in the decision-making process because of certain obstacles, especially cultural ones, which hinder their commitment. The aim of this contribution is thus to highlight the changes and innovative strategies that women have adopted in the urban environment in order to transform it. Women have always played an essential role in family, community, local and national organisation and their collective action has always been important even if it is not always formal. Two main areas will be emphasized: women’s empowerment and their access to rights and decisions in public life; their methods of appropriating public spaces.