Civic Activism as a Novel Component of Armenian Civil Society

like a “spontaneous volcano” that, based on circumstances, erupted immediately and
unexpectedly and has the potential to erupt again if necessary.
• Leaders
The leadership consisted of women: both activists and NGO leaders. One of the leaders was also
an active member of the Dem Em initiative. The core activist group seems rather small:
according to the information we gathered, the leadership was a group of 3-5 women, two of
whom were active in both the first and second stage. The leadership seems very fluid and
informal; a few concerned people simply took the initiative and acted based on circumstances.
• Gender Dimension
This is the only case that has an explicit gender dimension: the entire issue was gender based.
Women comprised the core leadership and the majority of the initiative. A few active male
members could also be found in the Facebook group. Moreover, gender was a boon to this case.
Maternity (past, present or future) is perceived as an extremely important element of female
identity in Armenia and commands deep respect. This issue was successfully employed by
organisers and participants, who framed the problem around motherhood and encouraging
women to have babies. Going against this frame cast the government in a negative light. An
example of a poster stating “I want to be born in Armenia, while my government doesn’t”
illustrates the power of such framing. One of the main activists was pregnant at the time; she
gave a few public speeches, evoking strong emotions among the public and probably government
officials. The government was essentially forced into a corner by arguments based on
motherhood: one of the most important cherished and respected values held by Armenian
society.
• Internet and Social Media
The campaign used a Facebook group “Stop changes in maternity leave law”, created in 2011,
and used it again to mobilise the second wave of activism. The group currently has 2,266
members. The group is active, though not narrowly focused on the issue. There is a relevant post
on 16 March 2016, although the group is dominated by themes of child-related theatre and TV
advertising.
• Scope, spread, duration
The initiative can be characterised as relatively small-scale, despite that it raised issues relevant
for all working women planning to have children. It did not spread beyond the capital and did not
attract even moderate numbers of participants in the streets. More than 5,000 people signed a
petition on www.change.org, but the number of participants ‘on the ground’ never exceeded 200
people.
• NGOs
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