 A female Yemeni doctor examines an infant | |
| General Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000) | 164 (2017) |
| Women in parliament | 1.0% (2019) |
| Women over 25 with secondary education | 19.9% (2017) |
| Women in labour force | 5.8% (2019) |
| Gender Inequality Index[1] | |
| Value | 0.820 (2021) |
| Rank | 170th out of 191 |
| Global Gender Gap Index[2] | |
| Value | 0.492 (2021) |
| Rank | 155th out of 156 |
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| Women in society |
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Women in Yemen suffer from gender-based discrimination due to the highly patriarchal character of Yemeni society.[3] Although the government of Yemen has made efforts to improve the rights of women (including the formation of a Women's Development Strategy and a Women Health Development Strategy),[4] many cultural and religious norms stand in the way of equal rights for women. Poor enforcement of the legislation by the Yemeni government exacerbates the problem.
As of 2017, Yemeni women do not hold many economic, social or cultural rights. While suffrage was gained in 1967 and constitutional and legal protection was extended to women during the first years of Yemen unity between 1990–1994, they continue to struggle "in exercising their full political and civil rights".[5]
On the other hand, women played major roles in Yemeni society in earlier times. Some women of pre-Islamic and early Islamic Yemen held elite status. The Queen of Sheba has been hailed as a "source of pride for the Yemeni nation".[5] In addition, Queen Arwa has been noted for building up the country and promoting greater prosperity under her rule.[5]
In modern day Yemen, women are subject to tribal and patriarchal traditions that keep them from advancing. Combined with illiteracy and poverty, this has led to women in Yemen being deprived of their rights as citizens.
Due to the ongoing armed conflict in Yemen since the end of March 2015, Yemen is undergoing a humanitarian crisis worldwide. The conflict has brought numerous accusations of violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law. The events have been brutal, and have had cruel consequences on all civilians, but especially on the lives of women and young girls. Due to the tension and chaos of the crisis, combined with the deep-rooted gender inequality, conditions for women and girls in Yemen are deteriorating as the conflict drags on. Women and girls have been left vulnerable to inhumane violence, physical and psychological abuse and exploitation.[6]
- ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORTS. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "Global Gender Gap Report 2021" (PDF). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ Lackner, Helen. P.D.R.Yemen: Outpost of Socialist Development in Arabia, pp. 114.
- ^ "Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women" (PDF). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 13 March 2007. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ a b c Basha, Amal. “Yemen.” In Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Citizenship and Justice, edited by Sameena Nazir and Leigh Tomppert. Oxford: Freedom House, 2005.
- ^ Two year conflict in Yemen's takes heaviest toll on women and girls