At the beginning of 2011, burgeoning digital discontent emerged through the physical and political occupation of Tahrir Square by Cairo’s activists and youth. While the initial events leading to the ouster of Former President Hosni Mubarak lasted eighteen days, from 25 January to 11 February, the conflict continues through the present day. Shifting political dynamics and a contentious atmosphere led to strategic and tactical negotiations within the public realm. Of great significance to this discourse is the struggle for inclusion by one particular subset: highly targeted, politically engaged, and commonly marginalized young women within public space. Widely accepted cultural practices of harassment of and even violence against women run rampant throughout the public domain of Cairo, often limiting the ability to participate within the socio-political construction of public space.

As the global issue of Women’s Rights as Human Rights evolves, it is key to examine the role of socio-cultural constructs of gender upon the lives of women and girls. During the first four years of this contemporary Egyptian Revolution, unprecedented actions have been undertaken to challenge the perpetual state of gender-based injustice. This research examines three strategies implemented in Cairo to challenge, educate, and redirect common practices of discrimination against women in the public realm: political protests in public space; transnational / NGO campaigns; and community-led organizing tactics. While the larger discourse of sustained democracy, eradication of poverty, and elimination of injustice continues, efforts to eliminate gender-based discrimination have begun to produce shifts in construction of both public consciousness and public space.