Women In Yemen: A Case Study

Gender inequality has maintained the suppression of women worldwide and unfortunately has impacted third world countries with the greatest magnitude. Everyday in these countries there are countless occurrences of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse that must be acknowledged as a primary concern for the world to help overcome. It is however important to recognize specific cultural and religious practices of gender hierarchy that are accepted by women in these countries. While keeping this in mind it is of paramount importance to keep sight of the consequences of abusing these cultural practices at the expense of women’s liberation and development.

The country of Yemen is made up of several cultural and economic zones; The Tihama, the highlands in the west, the central mountains, the high plateau in the east and the Gulf of Aden coastal plains. The majority of the population is ethnically Arab and is divided between the Shi’a Muslims and Sunni Muslims with a small combination of Jewish, Hindus and Christians. In late 1949 and early 1950, approximately 50,000 Yemeni Jews left Yemen for Israel to be in the “Holy Land”. The birth rate of Yemen is high and almost half of their population is under the age of fifteen years old and the infant death rate is high, and migration is why the growth rate is limited. The language of the Yemenis is Arabic, but have many different dialects depending

“I am woman hear me roar”! A song written by Helen Reddy in 1972 is not often a phrase chanted by Afghan women. The plight of the women of Afghanistan to obtain rights began early in history and continues today. Religion and culture have affected Afghanistan throughout time. Today in Afghanistan, ninety-nine percent are Muslims ("Religion in Afghanistan - Islam”). Muslim is the term used to define a person that participates in the act of obedience, acceptance, or surrender. Therefore a “Muslim is a person who submits to the will of God, or a follower of Islam” (Manisha) and can be seen in their lifestyle and choice of dress, the burqa which is outerwear that covers the entire body, except the eyes and hands, in addition to their religious

“In the United States, child poverty rates are higher than rates for the adult and elderly populations.” (Katherine Magnuson and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal 1) As poverty rates increase, more children are involved. Children, uninfluenced by the evils of the world, are pushed by these harsh living conditions and treated unfairly by others. Growing up in poverty can lead to lasting effects, and those effects include education issues, physical health is proven worse, and inadequate behavior. As an adult, these issues can turn into whether or not survival is promised.

In today’s world, many people believe men are the ones who possessed the physical, and mental endurance to do beyond and greater things then woman. America and the Middle East share some similarities, but have more differences when it comes to women’s right, education, and freedom.Women in American gained their rights during the 1920s (Women Suffrage Movement ), and until this day women in the Middle East are struggling to obtain their rights, because of the domain society the live in.

I chose to read the book “I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced” written by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui about a young girl who is forced to be married to a man years older than herself at ten years old. This book explains about the culture of Yemen, where child marriage is very common along with child trafficking.

Credentials: What does the author know about the subject? The author of this article knows what children need. In the article the author describes that child needs a safe and secure environment free of violence. They also need to feel loved and protected by both of their parents. The author also describes that children who are exposed to domestic violence may suffer arrange of lasting effects. ( UNICEF)

Traditionally and culturally, Bedouin values and perceptions of the girl`s family honor and traditional feminine norms such as veiling and exposure to men will not fade away, however modern settlements can elevate the Bedouin Women`s situation through educating women in a coeducational school where tradition can be embedded in modernism without breaking cultural norms. An educational approach which can integrate cultural codes, norms, values and social attitudes can ease the restrictions on women and eliminate the male role as :guards of honor” who shield their women from modernism(Fenster,1999).

Along with fighting corruption, Karman fought for women’s right and freedom of expression. "In Yemen, there is a culture that a woman can't go outside the house of her family or her husband," she says” (Shackle, Samira, The two revolutions of Yemen's women). Karman believed these were unfair and wrong traditions. She changed the way to wear the niqab, but made sure not to reveal her hair and believed it should be cultural to wear one, not religious. As she fought, she became a leader known as "the mother of the revolution"(Shackle, Samira, The two revolutions of Yemen's

Child brides are a little voiced problem that occur around the world. Fourteen million girls become child brides every year, a number that is increasing due to the growing populations of countries where child marriage is common (Fisher). I chose to focus on child brides specifically in Africa and the Middle East due to the high instances of child marriages in those parts of the world. In my research I also found that child brides are very common in South Asia and South America as well. In Niger, Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Guinea, Central African Republic, Mozambique, and Nepal over half of girls are married before they turn eighteen (Fisher).This is largely due to traditional tribal practices, cultural norms, and an overall lack of education.

The diversities within North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia (cultural, religious, political, etc.) play a crucial part in the status of women and the key features of gender roles in these particular geographic regions. The Middle East and North Africa share commonalities through Arabic and Islamic culture. Establishing equalities for women amongst the current social and political changes of Middle Eastern and North African societies stands as a difficult obstacle to overcome, but in spite of this, women’s rights efforts are still being made. While Islamic culture is dominant in Southeast Asia, the culture of Southeast Asian nations is diverse. Islam and gender in Southeast Asia have contributed to the continuing debate over Islam, feminism, and gender rights in the region. The cultures of North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are male dominated, but this cultural dominance might not sustain in the future. This essay will compare and contrast the current status of women and the key features of gender roles in North Africa and the Middle East with those of Southwest Asia. Examples will also be provided to justify any arguments that are made.

Socio-economic factors are widely acknowledged as important determinants of poverty. If an individual experiences adverse living conditions in childhood, majority of them will have inadequate income and result in low socio-economic status as adults (Carroll et al, 2011). Children born in poor households have difficulty in accessing the basic needs (e.g. food, clothing, and good living environment) and this can affect their learning ability at school, unable to focus. In other words, they have a higher chance of dropping out of school or lower education attainment, unable to provide appropriate qualifications when they move onto adulthood, seeking for job opportunities. These children are finding day-to-day life tough, they are living in cold, damp houses, do not have warm or rain-proof clothing, their shoes are worn, and many days they go hungry (Children's Commissioner, 2012). Often this has taken place over a long period of time, impacting on their development, behaviour and physical health furthermore limiting their potential as they grow into adults.

Usually, the first theme that arises with the thought of adolescence is puberty, which can be a tumulus time. Puberty is a time of rapid physical maturation including hormonal and bodily changes. These changes include menarche, weight gains, height gains, and hormonal changes (McGraw Hill Education, 2015). Personally, puberty was a time of rapid growth; I went from kids sizes to adult sizes in the matter of a few months. As an early-maturing girl, I was confused and surprised when I started to notice the changes occurring to my body; I started to form breasts and my figure began to change drastically. I no longer had the body types of my friends who were boys. Nevertheless, these changes began to occur and I wasn’t prepared for one of the markers of “womanhood”; my first menstruation. I went through lectures with my mother and she gave me “talks”, but when it came to reality, I wasn’t prepared. However, with a little patience I have survived the most difficult parts of puberty but this isn’t the only thing adolescences have to deal with.

Yemen is a country in turmoil. Not only from internal conflict but also from external influences. The Strait of Bab el-Mandeb is vital to oil and gas exportation and the amount of shipments is decreasing due to the conflict. It is known that a terrorist cell operates out of Yemen along with a rebel force that is attempting to take control of the country. The al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is thought to be part of the planning operations for international and local attacks that have been occurring. Being at the heart of a possible proxy war between two Middle East giants, which has global implications, has Yemen in the sights of many countries.

For generations, there has been a global issue called child marriage when children under 18 years old are forced to get married. In this custom, girls have no choice but to follow the arrangement of their families and people in the communities to marry somebody that they do not want to, leading to many other social problems. Unfortunately, child marriage is still considered legal and accepted in many regions, making it harder than ever to be removed. Therefore, on behalf of every individual against this violation of human rights, I would like you to take this issue under serious consideration and put an end to it. With the position of Executive Director of the United Nations’ Population Fund, I believe that you could have an influence on many countries by holding meetings, holding interviews and delivering speeches about child marriage. Throughout means of media like newspaper and social networks, your words could raise the alarm about this problem not only to the government, but also to populace all around the world. Your action would be a call to change people from reluctantly accepting child marriage into actively protesting it by raising funds for UNFPA to help protect girls from this custom. With these funds, UNFPA could co-operate with UN Women to conduct a project that aims to raise awareness to communities and empower girls. Professional activists would be sent to these focus countries to educate people, especially the leaders of the regions about the impacts of