Libya’s gender wars: the revolution within the revolution

ABSTRACT

In the course of the February 17 Revolution that overthrew the 42-year-old Muammar al-Qaddafi regime, Libyan women played new and unfamiliar roles in a traditionally conservative Muslim society. In post-Qaddafi Libya, women have struggled to retain and grow the rights and responsibilities many of them thought they had won in the course of the revolution. Faced with a conservative backlash that threatens to restrict or deny fundamental rights, Libyan women are engaged in a revolution within the revolution, fighting for socioeconomic and political empowerment and gender equality. This article explores the norms, identities, and roles of women in post-Qaddafi Libya.

KEYWORDS:

• Libya
• Qaddafi
• women
• human rights
• February 17 revolution

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.