In the aftermath of the revolution of the 25th of January, 2011, the Egyptian women‘s
movement has witnessed changes. The changes offered opportunities and challenges, yet with
two (2) years after the revolution, the challenges continue to outweigh the opportunities. In spite
of having had a newly formed parliament, the naming of a newly elected president from the
conservative wing, and the coding of a new constitution, all of which held the slogan of
―freedom, dignity, and social justice,‖ 48% of the population; Egyptian women, lack clearly
recognized rights in the current legal framework, their previously gained rights prior to 2011
may be compromised, and there is enough evidence that signals a perceived risk of a possible
backlash on the women‘s agenda.
Among the indicators that support this interpretation, is the fact that the national women‘s
machinery, which is mandated to advocate for increased women‘s rights, is being challenged by
state and none state actors. In response, women NGO coalitions and networks were formed to
confront threats to women‘s human rights. There is a dearth of information about women NGO
coalitions and networks in Egypt. Only one study in the literature studied three (3) Egyptian
NGO Coalitions, taking in to account the data had been collected prior to the revolution. This
research is intended to fill this gap in the literature and contribute to the documentation of the
history of the Egyptian women‘s movement.
A literature review was conducted, followed by thirty (30) semi-structured interviews
with gender experts and Egyptian women‘s activists. The researcher was also a participant
observer at the 57th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), based on
which a case study was developed to study how the different actors attempted to influence the
international policy agenda with regard to violence against women. The social and cultural,
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political, economic, and legal contexts for Egyptian women were studied to serve as the
foundation of the data analysis upon completion of the data collection.
A mapping of the previous and new actors in the external environment of the women‘s
movement was conducted to support the data analysis. The findings of the study suggest that the
new networks and initiatives have a higher potential to become strong coalitions, if compared to
large Egyptian NGO coalitions. Advocacy techniques need to take a new shape to better
influence public policies for women. The actors need to engage in networking and not networks,
new partnerships should be built, and the coalition‘s constituencies should be widened for
enhanced effectiveness. Last, but not least, there is a high need of more evidence based and
scientific research, which coalitions should use in framing their messages. The study is
concluded by a set of policy recommendations to guide the way forward for Egyptian women.