The rise in Islamist inspired women’s activism has posed challenges to the struggle for women’s rights in post-Ben Ali Tunisia. The wave of democratization, triggered by a popular uprising for social justice and dignity early 2011, has given the opportunity to a broad mosaic of Tunisian women to take to the streets and voice their opinions and aspirations. Accordingly, the Tunisian women’s movement has become fragmented and reveals new fault lines closely situated along the secular-religious binary that is apparent in Tunisian politics. Ideological disunity, a burdensome historical legacy, political polarization and class struggle all shape the frictions in the women’s movement. Drawing on the concepts of ‘agonistic pluralism’ (Chantal Mouffe) and ‘transversal politics’ (Nira Yuval-Davis), this article seeks to understand how the Tunisian women’s movement can deal with this new, multi-faceted conflict within its ranks. Starting from the idea that cohesive women’s coalitions, i.e. coalitions across class, identity and political affiliation, can help foster positive gendered state outcomes during political transitions, the paper identifies both advantages and risks of arguing in favor of cross-ideological and cross-class dialogue and cooperation in the women’s movement. Through a discussion of the ‘Dialogue of Tunisian Women’ – a project launched by an international NGO in order to facilitate a dialogue between women of different ideological backgrounds in Tunisia – the paper concludes that a thorough understanding of the fault lines and an ‘agonistic’ engagement with Islamist women’s activism are imperative for successful coalition-building.