The overall status of women across the wider Mediterranean has improved over the last decade, through increased participation in public, political, and economic life. Yet many challenges persist, and gender equality remains an elusive goal. Against this backdrop, literature has emerged as an immensely valuable tool for amplifying women’s voices. By weaving together individual stories and collective memory, female writers highlight the struggles women face both in the private and public life – carving out spaces of resistance, giving expression to silenced experiences, and challenging dominant narratives. This session explores how the experiences of women in the public space and the role of women’s literature can become a catalyst for social and cultural change.  What role can women’s narratives – whether expressed in literature, in politics or in peacebuilding– play in advancing gender equality in the Mediterranean? How can these voices become a tool to bridge cultural divides and amplify women’s aspirations? And what is needed to ensure that women, in politics and culture alike, gain the visibility and recognition they deserve across the region?