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Article

Open Access

The Feminist Movement in the Moroccan Spring: Roles, Specificity, and Gains

Author(s)

Mohammed Yachoulti

Full-Text PDF Download XML 1487 Views

DOI:10.17265/2159-5526/2015.12.001

Affiliation(s)

Moulay Ismail University, Morocco

ABSTRACT

The Moroccan Spring in 2011 has been a golden opportunity for Moroccan women to put their country on the democratization track. Their decision to take an integral part in all aspects of the uprisings stems from their belief that their participation and contribution are necessary for any potential democratic changes that would undoubtedly secure and bring them more rights. However, the appointment of only one female minister in the first Islamist-led government and the reluctance to implement the provisions of the new constitution, namely the issue of gender parity, are but two of the new alarming examples that have disappointed Moroccan women. Based on interviews with women’s movement organizations’ leaders and 20 February Movement (20-FMVT) female activists and through following the development of the Arab Spring in Morocco in particular and in the Middle Eastern & Northern Africa region in general, this paper considers the different roles, specificity, and gains of Moroccan women during and after the so-called Moroccan Spring. The paper argues that despite their limited gains in the aftermath of this momentum, Moroccan women managed once again to prove their agency and ability to change laws and instigate reforms.

KEYWORDS

Moroccan women, Arab Spring, 20 February Movement (20-FMVT), democracy

Cite this paper

Sociology Study, December 2015, Vol. 5, No. 12, 895-910

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