Women in Development and Peace – Alia Mohammed
The current circumstances and ongoing conflict in Yemen have led to a major collapse in infrastructure and the economic situation, a rise in poverty and unemployment rates, and a lack of job opportunities for many Yemenis, especially women. This has resulted in the inability of many Yemeni families to provide their families with basic needs.
In Yemen, the greatest burden of these challenges has fallen on Yemeni women, who have been at the forefront of facing difficult circumstances, especially with the loss of the family’s primary breadwinner. This has made them bear full responsibility and work with doubled efforts inside and outside the home. Many of them have also resorted to establishing their own projects to improve the income level of their families.
There is no doubt that Yemeni women are a fundamental pillar of Yemeni society. They represent the missing half of the economic equation and have played an important role in creating opportunities for themselves in the labor market. Their economic empowerment is one of the most important factors contributing to achieving economic growth and sustainable development. In addition, it enhances women’s ability to earn income and bear economic responsibilities. Here, we highlight the most important societal views on the importance of economic empowerment for women and the most important challenges and difficulties they face.
Improving the Living Conditions
Arij Al-Shaikh is one of the Yemeni businesswomen and the head of “Lodi Hospitality” Foundation, which is a private service institution specialized in supervising, organizing, and managing parties, conferences, and exhibitions. She also manages a special section for the production of sweets, chocolates, dates stuffed with Arabic coffee, incense, perfumes, and fermented drinks.
Arij says: “The institution started its work by producing incense and perfumes, distributing them locally and internationally. Then came the service of providing hospitality for parties and occasions. Over time, these services were developed until we were able to provide all the requirements and services for parties at a high level. The institution has become a pioneer in organizing parties fully, from couches and musical “DJ” devices, and others, in addition to selling the products produced by the institution.”
She indicated that the beginning of the project was with simple support from the family, with an amount not exceeding 50,000 Yemeni riyals, but with the insistence on development and continuity, the services were improved, an integrated work team was formed, and the project was transformed into an integrated institution.
Arij Al-Shaikh believes that the economic empowerment of Yemeni women is very important, especially in light of the conditions and circumstances that Yemen is going through. The work of women and encouraging them to create a source of income to help their families is a positive thing, even from home. There are very large projects for businesswomen from inside homes, and they are successful and influential projects.
She explained that since approximately 2015, many projects have emerged for women, and in a very noticeable way, including projects supported by international organizations. The projects were not limited to those with limited income; there were businesswomen from large and well-known families who owned successful projects in Yemeni society. Women have the ability and seriousness to work, but they need support, encouragement, and support.
She continues, saying: “There is an ongoing effort for Yemeni women to be among the most successful working women in various economic fields, due to their great role in the economic renaissance of the country. My message to every woman who wants to be a businesswoman is to search within herself for her hobbies, inclinations, and desires, and work to invest and develop them.”
In a related context, Afrah Sabra (a business pioneer) sees the importance of economic empowerment for women to implement their own projects; private projects, whether medium or small, are a very important weapon for most Yemeni families in light of the current conditions that have forced women to open private projects in various fields; such as sewing, making pastries, cakes, drawing, and others, according to their capabilities, abilities, and talents.
On the other hand, Dr. Manar Munir Al-Janahi, a leading businesswoman, trainer, and consultant in the field of economic empowerment and investment for businessmen and businesswomen, pointed out that Yemeni women have played a very prominent role in the field of economic empowerment in Yemen, as evidenced by the projects that have emerged during the period of conflict and the Corona pandemic. Yemeni women have been able to invest the latent energy within them and employ it in their projects, which helped provide a source of income for their families.
“Despite the difficulties of life and the current situation that Yemen is going through as a result of the conflict, Yemeni businesswomen have been able to prove themselves as persevering, patient, and capable women who can stand in the face of all challenges and difficulties. They have proven their presence in the field of economic empowerment with merit, and some of them have achieved success locally and internationally, and have contributed to raising the efficiency of the local economy and driving the wheel of economic development in Yemen.”
She also mentioned that the conflict had negative consequences on Yemeni society, especially women, as it led to a complete cessation of salaries for state employees in many Yemeni governorates, and many families suffered major losses in their source of income. This made the idea of small projects for women a lifeline through which women were able to escape the nightmare of complete poverty.
She explained that women’s projects helped hire many female workers, whether from members of the same family or girls with limited income, or those who did not receive enough education to find a job, which reduced the rate of poverty and unemployment.
Al-Janahi pointed out that women’s projects helped provide high-quality local products, to replace some imported products, and as a result, the efficiency of the local product increased, which contributed to building a strong local economy and driving the wheel of sustainable development forward, in addition to achieving social cohesion in the family unit, self-sufficiency, and stability.
Achieving Development and Economic Stability
Nuha Tawfiq (a university student) confirmed that the economic empowerment of Yemeni women is an essential factor for achieving sustainable development in Yemen, through women’s access to opportunities in the labor market that guarantee economic and social stability in society.
She added: “The economic empowerment of women has helped in strengthening their role in society, which gives them the right to fully participate in the economic and social life of the country, and allows them to achieve financial independence and self-realization.”
She stated in her speech that economic empowerment provides women with opportunities to show their skills and abilities in various fields and specializations, which leads to increased productivity and the achievement of comprehensive economic and social development for society.
Nadia Ali, the owner of a woolen clothing project, agrees with Afrah. She emphasizes that the economic empowerment of women plays a significant role in driving the wheel of development, achieving economic renaissance, sustainable development, and prosperity. Women are capable of making their own financial decisions without relying on others. Their increased participation in financial markets and economic contributions are the main indicators of the level of economic empowerment of women in Yemen, despite the difficulties. They have been able to access economic and technological resources with great skill, and their ability to achieve remarkable progress in various fields that were once the exclusive domain of men demonstrates their capability to society.
Difficulties and Challenges
Dr. Manar Al-Janahi pointed out the most prominent challenges and difficulties that businesswomen face in economic empowerment; most notably: negative customs and traditions in Yemeni society, in addition to psychological pressures at home and work, and the inability of some businesswomen to balance their work in their private project and caring for their family, especially with the absence of a family supporter, and the absence of self-empowerment and psychological support for businesswomen.
She also pointed to the lack of security stability in the country due to the ongoing conflict, the fluctuation of dollar prices, the rise in the prices of raw materials, or their unavailability in the local market; which is one of the most important challenges facing businesswomen in Yemen currently, in addition to the absence of a specialized advisory committee for resolving, facilitating, and evaluating the progress of businesswomen’s projects, and providing scientific consultations according to international standards in the implementation of economic projects, and the lack of real and realistic solutions to the administrative, financial, and commercial problems facing most businesswomen.
Afrah Sabra is one of the many Yemeni women who have faced difficulties at the beginning of their projects, especially in the field of marketing. She initially relied on participating in exhibitions at high costs but later turned to organizing and participating in events, shows, and competitions to reach a larger audience.
She explained that the difficulties faced by female entrepreneurs in Yemen include: the increased cost of ordering materials not available in Yemen from foreign websites; the lack of background knowledge about project management and marketing compared to men; the absence of free courses that enable project owners to market their projects; and the lack of support from relevant authorities in empowering women.
Solutions and Treatments
Dr. Manar Al-Janahi presented several proposals and solutions to develop the process of empowering businesswomen economically in Yemeni society. Through raising awareness about the importance of the role of businesswomen in society, as they are partners in building the local economy and driving economic development in Yemeni society, and implementing effective training courses and workshops in time management and risk management so that businesswomen can balance their time, address their problems, and find innovative and effective solutions in their projects and homes. Providing legal protection for them and defending them when dealing with traders to protect their financial rights and prevent exploitation or fraud, through coordination between businesswomen and the Ministry of Industry to find alternative solutions to provide necessary raw materials, regulate prices, and unify them among wholesalers.
It also emphasized the importance of providing psychological support for businesswomen in Yemen to help them overcome stages of frustration and depression that lead to the loss of their projects, and imbalance in their lives, and raise awareness among them about the importance of involving their families and the economic importance of their projects to help them overcome difficulties and challenges. Furthermore, businesswomen must understand the importance of financial inclusion and financial services by participating in banking awareness courses in collaboration with financial institutions and banks, targeting them in special courses on electronic literacy to raise awareness about the importance of using electronic applications, help in developing and improving projects according to modern standards, and save effort and money.
It also mentioned the importance of establishing a specialized advisory committee responsible for managing businesswomen with real powers to provide appropriate consultations as real solutions to their problems, facilitate their projects, connect them with commercial community groups to create mutual commercial services that benefit both parties and achieve strong and impactful local economic empowerment.