This article examines the cases of Tunisia and Egypt as examples of the outbreak of the debate about women's rights in the wake of the Arab revolutions. The paper aims at analysing the separation between public and private spheres in both countries and its effects on women´s ability to negotiate their rights. It discusses the most important structural factors, legislation and laws that affected the feminist issue in Egypt and Tunisia through history and the impact of this heritage on the situation of women in the post-Arab spring.