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Within the framework of the Femmedina Programme supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the analysis report summarises the findings on women's needs and participation in two souks, Sidi Chatti and El Kdim, in M'saken, in Tunisia.

In the fabric of urban life, the inclusion of women is not just a question of equity and representation. It is also, and above all, a fundamental prerequisite for creating prosperous, sustainable communities. Urban planning and consultation processes must actively involve women to ensure that the diverse needs, experiences and perspectives of all community members are taken into account and addressed.

In M’saken, a secondary city in the Tunisian Sahel, women are playing a key role as economic drivers of the city, and yet remain vulnerable to informal working conditions and gender inequalities in the public space. The old neighbourhood of the Medina is famous for its weekly souk Sidi Chatti. Also known as the women’s souk, only women are traditionally selling and buying, creating a unique public space only run and accessed by women. De facto, the market is thus considered extremely safe for women and is an essential component of women’s sociability in the city, yet women are still critically underrepresented in the political and municipal decisions of this space.

Cities Alliance conducted surveys, interviews, focus groups and co-creation workshops with local women for the rehabilitation of the souk neighbourhood to draw recommendations for gender-sensitive urban development.

Analysis Report Msaken
Read in French

Key points of the report:

  • Use of public spaces: Women’s presence is centralised around a few main public spaces: the medina entrance, by the Srayet El Maground building, and a few other public spaces: in front of the primary school, the hamman, the bakery and the souk on market days. This gendered use of space is strongly correlated to their domestic role. The hub created by the souk on market days is thus a central place of socialisation for women buying and economic independence for female merchants selling there. The lack of public places accessible by women is one of their main requests, highlighting the needs for more inclusive spaces in the city.
  • Renovation and rehabilitation of the souk: A unique public space mostly accessed by women, the souk is poorly maintained, and women wish to be better taken into consideration in the plans for its rehabilitation, proposing  to reorganise the stands for facilitating circulation and optimise the products presentation, creating shaded spaces to protect the population from the heat in the day and installation of public lighting.
  • Safety and Access to Public Spaces: The women’s souk, almost only accessed by women, is considered safe by the female users. Yet, specific areas in the neighbourhood surrounding the market, including certain public gardens, residential alleys, squares, and in front of cafes, create a sense of insecurity and are thus perceived as such due to invisible barriers, fear of assault, social discomfort and lack of lighting.
  • Economic integration and independence: Women are pillars in their communities, but as merchants in the souk, they face poor infrastructures, lack of social security and vulnerability inherent to precarious work, often a very small business relying solely on them. A facilitated access to micro-loans, formations and education, or social security would reduce women’s vulnerability and allow them to thrive and further participate in the economic development of the city, increasing their revenue.
  • Increasing and facilitating their participation in local decision-making processes: Considered by interviewed women as “critically low”, political integration and recognition of women’s economic role in the city is a pressing need, and would in turn guarantee women better livelihood prospects.


Through its action in the cities of Sousse, Mahdia, Msaken and Kairouan, the Femmedina project proposes recommendations for a gender-sensitive urban planning in Tunisia. Urban planning processes must actively seek out and amplify the voices of women from diverse backgrounds, ensuring that their perspectives are taken into account in shaping the future of cities. Only in this way can we create truly inclusive, dynamic and sustainable urban environments for all.