During the Arab uprisings, an unprecedented number of women took to the streets, paving the way for a more important role in politics. However, in the transitional period that follows, they now have to fight against their exclusion from the political arena.

The extent of their participation in the new political process, the author argues, will depend on three main factors: their contribution to the democratic culture established, the nature and role of political Islam, as well as gender representation in the news media. As her research in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Syria suggests, the fight to carry the women‘s newly found political status through the transitional period will blur the conflict lines between the „traditional-religious“ and the „urban-modern-non-religious“ blocs. Arab women are finding new forms of political participation, distinct from the Western models.

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the persistent obstacles to women’s and ethnic minority representation in politics, and to examine conditions and strategies across various countries that appear to facilitate better political representation of these groups.

Technology defines our era. In the past few decades, numerous innovations—including ever-shrinking computers, mobile phones, and alternative energies—have been introduced in homes and workplaces, changing the way we live, how we work, and what we’re able to do. Bridging the Gender Divide: How Technology Can Advance Women Economically examines why technology is essential to women’s economic advancement and clarifies how it puts the process inmotion by showcasing technologies that have helped women in developing countries to ncrease their productivity, create new entrepreneurial ventures, or otherwise access new income-generating pursuits.

This paper builds on ICRW’s long-standing research and program work on the realities of what it takes to enable women to increase their resources and economic opportunities, and strengthen their ability to compete in market economies. Most important, it speaks to the growing number of actors driving innovation fromthe public, private, and social sectors with practical recommendations on how to improve the way technologies are developed and deployed so they benefit women and enable them to be more successful economic actors, stronger leaders, and greater contributors to their families, communities, and domestic economies.