Updated: Sept. 28, 2011 at 12:29 PM
Female protesters of The Arab Spring (52 images)
Large numbers of people have taken to the streets in protest against corrupt and authoritarian governments. Photographs of male protesters have dominated the headlines, but women have also played an important and undeniable role in the protests. To some, the involvement of women may be a surprise, but it is clear they are active and playing a pivotal role in their country's history.
A woman carries a banner reading ‘Where is my Father?’ at an anti-Mubarak demonstration at the Society of Lawyers in downtown Cairo on September 1, 2005. Under intense security measures and with hundreds of riot troops deployed, demonstrators from three opposition parties, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood, gathered outside the Union of Lawyers in downtown Cairo calling on the ouster of incumbent President Hosni Mubarak, the release of political prisoners and suspension of emergency (martial) law under which Egypt has been ruled for over two decades. (UPI Photo/Stewart Innes)
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Egyptian demonstrators protest in Cairo's main square square during the biggest anti-government protests in three decades in a bid to topple the government President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Egypt on January 31, 2011. UPI
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Bahraini predominantly Shiite protesters wave their national flag as they take part in an anti-regime rally at Pearl Square, the focal point of demonstrations for over two weeks, in Manama, Bahrain on March 1, 2011. UPI/ Isa Ebrahim
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Mothers wrap their children in the national flag as Bahraini anti-government protesters rally at Pearl Square, the focal point of demonstrations for over two weeks, in Manama, Bahrain on March 1, 2011. UPI/ Isa Ebrahim
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