Moroccan Women's Civil !ctivism: Towards a New Reform

From the 1980s onwards the rise of Moroccan feminist discourse paralleled the emergence of Moroccan women's civil activism; Moroccan women have established autonomous civil associations in order to render them a legitimate robust scene for political and social performance. Such organizations have mobilized women to create social and political strategies and work in harmonious networks in order to approach all categories of women, be they literate or illiterate, situated in rural or urban areas. The 1980s marked the foundation of two important organizations that championed feminist demands in Morocco and raised women's cause from a radical perspective. The Democratic Association for Moroccan Women (ADFM) founded in 1985, and the Women's Feminine !ction (U!F) created in 1987. They both formed a feminist space from which women could disseminate their feminist agenda in an attempt to promote their rights and end patriarchal hegemony. This study has assessed the extent to which Moroccan women civil activism contributed to igniting the debate over reforming the family law and over integrating women into the social development.