Political Representation of Arab Women in the Aftermath of the Revolutions: An Illusion of Arab Spring?

Arab women who supported the protests of the Arab Spring, which attempted to bring political rights and civil liberties to their countries, found themselves isolated from the transition process in the aftermath of the revolutions. Moreover, Arab women have even lost the rights they received during the rule of the former authoritarian leaders. This article in an attempt to analyze this conflicting situation and will refer to three research methods of comparative politics: structural, cultural and rational choice approaches. By referring to structural analysis, the study looks at the impact of institutions such as the constitution and the institutional structures on women’s rights. Through a cultural analysis, it concentrates on how the patriarchal life style, religion and Islamists in power constrained women’s rights. By referring to a rational choice approach, the study argues that new regimes – while prioritizing the issues such as ending the war, providing security and resolving the economic crisis – have not paid much attention to women’s rights. The article will concentrate on women’s rights and political representation prior to and in the aftermath of the Arab Spring in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Libya. The article will argue that there has not been much improvement in women’s rights in four countries as a result of cultural and structural reasons, as well as the rational choices.