Women's Day in 2024

When is Women's Day in Tunisia?

Women's Day is a public holiday in Tunisia on August 13th each year.

This day commemorates the promulgation of a series of women's rights that were established within the Code of Personal Status on this day in 1956. 

History of Women's Day in Tunisia

Tunisia has always shown a streak of feminism unique in the Arab world.

This came to fore in 1956 through the Code of Personal Status. These are a series of Tunisian laws that aim to address the gender inequality between women and men in a number of areas. 

The code was promulgated by on August 13th 1956 and came into effect on January 1st 1957. The Code was implemented by then Prime Minister, Habib Bourguiba, who would later go on to become President of Tunisia.

The code gave women a unique place in Tunisian society compared to other Arab countries, a position they still enjoy today. It abolished polygamy, created a judicial procedure for divorce and required marriage to be performed only in the event of the mutual consent of both parties. There are parts of the code that still highlight inequality, such as the joint ownership of family assets and inheritance.

Although some religious leaders opposed the changes, Bourguiba's successors have not challenged the Code. Indeed, some more progressive edits have been made. For instance, the 1956 text required a wife to obey her husband; this was later debated and changed in the 1990s.

This holiday should not be confused with International Women's Day, which takes place on March 8th.