Female Revolutionaries

Women have not traditionally had much influence in Egyptian public life, as Egyptian society is still strongly patriarchal.  Some commentators have noticed an interesting feature of the current protests, mirroring in some ways the protests in Iran, namely that women (of all ages) are actively involved, in significant numbers, in the protests.  This is good for women, good for society as a whole, and bodes well for the formation of a new Egyptian government after the revolution, as the women who have through protest felt their voices be heard, are unlikely to be as willing to return to their silence.