Members of Tunisian the Association of D

Members of Tunisian the Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) prepare slogans in solidarity with Tunisian professor Zakia Dhifaoui(C), as she enters her second day of hunger strike on March 8, 2010 in Tunis on the international Women's day. Zakia was dismissed from her work after her participation in a demonstration against the government in Gafsa. Women's rights have inched forward in the Middle East, but gender inequality remains the norm in the region and in some countries the situation has taken a turn for the worse, says a US study. AFP PHOTO / FETHI BELAID (Photo credit should read FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)