Hebah Mohammed – Women for Development and Peace
Higher education for Yemeni women is a topic worthy of attention and scrutiny. Women in Yemen face social constraints and challenges that affect their opportunities to access higher education. Despite positive developments in the education sector, Yemeni women face significant challenges that hinder the achievement of their academic and professional aspirations.
Social and cultural constraints are among the most important factors affecting Yemeni women’s pursuit of higher education and scientific research. These inherited restrictions may include stereotypical societal expectations of women and their defined roles, pressures of early marriage and preparation for family life, and economic challenges that make it difficult for women to bear the costs of their academic education.
Social and Economic Challenges
Yemeni women’s access to higher education faces social and economic challenges that reflect the reality they live in. Despite the importance of academic education in achieving development and progress in various fields, women still face several obstacles that hinder their journey toward obtaining educational and developmental opportunities.
Dr. Arwa Abdallah Ba’waidhan, vice dean of the Faculty of Open Education at Hadhramaut University, says: “Social and cultural conditions have greatly affected women in Yemen. There are still customs and traditions that govern society and affect women’s decisions regarding pursuing their higher education, even though the general and prevailing culture in previous times encouraged girls’ education.”
Ba’waidhan explained that the biggest obstacle facing Yemeni women in pursuing higher education is the social challenges represented by the customs and traditions that govern the individual family and society as a whole. These challenges may be represented in the fact that the first message of Yemeni women – in their view – is raising children, especially since they have many responsibilities imposed by Yemeni society.
Dr. Nada Khashafa, head of the Department of Management and Planning at Ibb University, confirms this as well, saying: “In some Yemeni societies, the traditional view of women’s role is still confined to the home and household chores, which poses an obstacle to their pursuit of higher academic education. There is also the gender perspective; there is still a preference for educating males over females in some areas, due to the societal patriarchal view that sees male education as more important and a priority over female education.”
She points out that early marriage for girls is a widespread phenomenon in some Yemeni regions, leading to their dropping out of education before reaching the university level. She added that Yemeni women shoulder significant household responsibilities, making it difficult for them to focus on continuing their education and professional development.
She continues: “There are challenges that lie in the economic situation experienced by Yemeni society, especially in light of the high tuition fees in the field of postgraduate studies. Despite these challenges, Yemeni women are still striving to continue their higher education by defying the social and economic conditions they live in, even with some academics completing their postgraduate studies and becoming experts in rare scientific fields and specializations.”
Challenges of Continuing Higher Education
Ba’waidhan emphasizes in her discussion that Yemeni women face difficulties in continuing their higher education. They lack sufficient support from their families, especially when it comes to postgraduate studies, and their exorbitant costs exceed the ability of the Yemeni family to bear, making it difficult for women to continue their education at the postgraduate level.
Regarding the social challenges, Khashafa believes that the most important difficulties are the lack of appropriate university programs for female students, the absence of specializations that are compatible with societal expectations of women in some areas, in addition to the lack of sufficient facilities and equipment in universities, which affects the quality of higher education available to women.
Equality in Higher Education Opportunities
Dr. Ba’waidhan says: “Gender equality exists in Yemeni legislation and laws, and educational opportunities are available to both genders. The roles of men and women are numerous, but it is difficult to achieve equality in higher education opportunities on the ground due to social and economic challenges. However, it can be enhanced by providing educational opportunities for all genders based on their roles in society.”
She explained that although achieving equality in higher education opportunities may be difficult, it can be achieved by providing job opportunities for female academics within society, to enhance the role of women in academic work and motivate them to make contributions in the scientific and research fields.
She continues: “To promote gender equality, new study paths must be opened that are compatible with women’s interests and meet their academic and professional needs, to enable them to acquire skills and knowledge in the fields they are interested in, and to provide scholarships by institutions concerned with educating girls and enabling them to pursue their higher education, to alleviate the financial burden on them and encourage them to continue on their educational paths.”
Khashafa also participated, saying: “Based on my limited knowledge of the current circumstances in Yemen, there are some measures that can be taken to promote equality in higher education opportunities for Yemeni women, including community awareness and education and implementing national awareness campaigns to change prevailing cultural and social attitudes about the role of women in society.”
She adds: “Among the measures are also disseminating media and educational programs that highlight the importance of women’s education and highlight their potential contributions to national development, establishing women’s educational institutions in rural and deprived areas, in addition to supporting training and professional development programs for graduates, providing suitable job opportunities, and involving women in the process of developing educational policies and managing educational institutions.”
Social Empowerment
Regarding social empowerment and its role in enhancing higher education opportunities for Yemeni women, Ba’waidhan indicated that encouraging Yemeni women to participate in social events and scientific conferences enhances their role in society and contributes to strengthening their intellectual and research capabilities. Through this social empowerment, Yemeni women become capable of analyzing social phenomena and searching for solutions through scientific approaches.
She added: “The presence of some women in the field of extracting sea salt in Al-Hasa area of Hadhramaut Governorate constitutes an important aspect of social life. This reality serves as an incentive for many educated women to explore it through scientific research, with the aim of studying traditional methods of salt extraction and developing modern technological methods to increase productivity and improve the living conditions of these women. This scientific engagement has had a positive impact, as it has contributed to encouraging one of the organizations to adopt this project.”
Dr. Khashafa confirmed that social empowerment provides opportunities for Yemeni women to access higher education by reducing social and cultural constraints. She indicated that empowering women socially is reflected in their self-confidence and ambition, which pushes them to exert greater efforts in their university studies and achieve distinguished academic achievements. They are also in a better position to practice scientific research and contribute to innovation and development in various academic fields.
Programs, Initiatives, and Key Measures
Regarding the extent to which there are special programs and initiatives aimed at empowering Yemeni women in the fields of higher education, Ba’waidhan confirmed that government programs and initiatives are not sufficiently available, except programs provided by university-affiliated academics through the Academic Development Center. These programs are implemented to meet the needs of students and develop their academic and professional capabilities.
She explained that the measures that can be taken to enhance higher education in light of the unstable security conditions are represented in providing higher education opportunities for women by establishing educational facilities within the region in which they reside. This allows women to obtain higher education without having to move to other areas and be subjected to difficult security procedures.
In the same context, Khashafa says: “Despite the cultural dimensions that Yemeni society has placed on women, which have greatly affected their development in the fields of higher education, some positive developments can be observed in recent years. There have been efforts by the government and civil society to enhance women’s participation in higher education and scientific research, as well as in public spheres. Programs have been established to empower women, provide scholarships, and encourage them to enroll in colleges and universities.”
She stressed the need to exert more institutional and societal efforts to change the traditional view of the cultural role of women in Yemen and support their participation in higher education and public life more broadly, which will enhance their ability to contribute to the development of Yemeni society.
Regarding the measures that can be taken to enhance women’s higher education despite the difficult security conditions, Khashafa mentioned the importance of developing online educational programs and providing them to female students in unsafe areas, establishing partnerships with charitable institutions and donors to provide financial support to female students, establishing partnerships with international universities and educational institutions to exchange experiences and resources, and improving the infrastructure of universities in more stable and secure areas.
Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Success
“When I completed my master’s degree, I was in the first year of my marriage, and I had to travel to Jordan to pursue my postgraduate studies at that time. I became pregnant with my first son while I was at the beginning of my first year of study. I faced many challenges and difficulties, but with determination and the encouragement of my husband, I overcame the difficulties,” says Ba’waidhan.
She continues: “I finished my master’s degree and had two children while I was abroad. The biggest challenge was when my husband decided to return to our country, and I couldn’t complete my doctorate because of the needs of the children and taking care of them. We decided to return and be satisfied with only a master’s degree, but the dream of completing my doctorate was haunting me, and my inner ambition pushed me to do so.”
Ba’waidhan faced many troubles in her attempts to travel again and faced the challenges associated with travel itself. She spent six years after completing her master’s degree waiting for an opportunity to study abroad, but circumstances did not allow her to do so. Then a glimmer of hope appeared in Ba’waidhan’s life when the doctoral program was opened for the first time at the Faculty of Education, Hadhramaut University. The first batch consisted of faculty members who were not allowed by their circumstances to travel abroad.
She says: “I was able to complete my doctoral studies in my country, and it was a wonderful opportunity to study in my homeland and among my family. That period was one of the most wonderful opportunities that I had; I studied in my country among my loved ones.”
Ba’waidhan’s experience reflects the challenges that many women face in their educational journey, but through willpower, support, and determination, obstacles can be overcome, and academic ambitions can be achieved.