Tunisia: Understanding Conflict 2012 - Johns Hopkins School of ...

etter showing than the leftist parties. Abdelwahab Hafaiedh, Director of the Middle East
Research Competition Programme (MERC), remarked: “The quota of men and women
hurt the social democrats more than [it hurt] Ennahdha because the democrats did not
have the women for the ticket and Ennahdha did” (SAIS Group Meeting, 23 January
2012). Thus, though its conservative base concerns many, Ennahdha received more
support from and more representation by women in the electoral process. Meanwhile,
perhaps more relevant than the politics of women’s rights is the social realities Tunisian
women face—and potentially will face—on a daily basis.
Beyond Politics: Facing Realities
Looking beyond the back and forth between secular and Islamist groups, many fear that
despite the laudable gains made by women in all areas, there are two main obstacles to
their advancement: the social norms still governing gender relations and long-term plans
of conservative elements to make these norms even stricter. Some of the interviewees
exemplified these normative attitudes. When speaking of the quota for women during the
electoral process, Barouni argued:
We wanted to create women as partners in state affairs. The quotas on
lists…are a bad way to do things. There shouldn’t be a gift for women;
they must be active and present and fight for themselves. Many women
have been in the assembly by accident because the parties have blank
spaces so they just put women’s names on the lists, and the women aren’t
ready to serve... Right now they are just there for the picture and image.
(SAIS Group Meeting, 24 January 2012)
While Barouni makes a good point that women should be treated equally to men, his
arguments reveal a general lack of support for programs that would allow women to gain
an equal footing. His argument is countered by other interviewees’ observations that none
of the current representatives—male or female—are prepared or have experience to
govern, as well as by the fact that women have not yet had the chance to play a major
political role, so could not have had the experience expected of most men. Meanwhile,
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