Ahlam arranges three platters of ‘lahoh’ and other types of baked goods such as ‘malouj’, among a gathering of young women who vend their homemade goods on the bustling main street, thereby securing financial sustenance for herself and her five children, as she tells "Khuyut."
She sits on a plastic chair with a wooden table in front of her, offering fresh platters of ‘lahoh’ and ‘malouj’ alongside plastic bottles filled with hot pepper and spices. Next to her, other girls sit, vending the same products in the popular Al-Safia neighborhood in Sana'a.
Ahlam spoke to us about the excellence of her work, stating that it is tailored to the preferences of customers who prefer baked goods made from a mixture of corn flour, mixed with red lentils, and other types of grains.
In a war-torn, impoverished country, the proportion of women in the workforce is 6% of the total labor force, according to the International Labor Organization and the Central Statistical Organization in 2015. Actually, the initiatives of young women to work in various professions have represented a qualitative shift for many families in Yemen suffering from severe economic conditions.
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The traditional bread known as ‘lahoh’ is typically prepared from a mixture of grain flours, including sorghum, maize, barley, millet, and wheat, to which hot water is added during the kneading process until it reaches a liquid consistency. It is then left to ferment for hours using the traditional method. Afterward, it is poured onto a hot Tefal pan or onto a traditional clay pan called “malahha”, and cooked until it attains a golden color before being lifted from the pan.
The vendor adds to "Khuyut": "We start cooking at 3:00 AM until 7:00 AM, then we head to the market accompanied by a young girl assistant to sell, and we return home at 3:00 PM."
“Women's work in markets and street vending can be classified as part of productive family project activities, which contribute to enhancing the utilization of the community's limited resources. Further, women constitute a large portion of the population, and leaving this segment unemployed represents a waste of an important community resource.”
Non-Emergency Occupations
Women’s work in vending homemade and agricultural products is not a new phenomenon caused by the years of war; rather, it is an age-old profession. However, the harsh living conditions, exacerbated by the war, have significantly increased the prevalence and diversity of these occupations.
In this regard, the economic researcher, Dr. Abdulqader Al-Banna, tells "Khuyut": "For decades, women have been selling their field products in weekly markets in Taiz city and its countryside, laying their goods on modest stalls. This activity was neither against local community customs nor their religious commitments. In the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, women (both rural and urban) were able to exercise many of their rights on a par with men, with the right to work at the forefront. At that time, state legislations overcame many obstacles that excluded women from participating in economic activity generally, and in political, social, and cultural life. These facts should always be emphasized to understand the magnitude of the tragedies that the Yemeni people have suffered from since they succumbed to their affairs and fell under the control of reactionary, backward, and religious extremist forces." Al-Banna adds: "Work is an honor regardless of where it is practiced or who practices it, whether by a man or a woman. However, the importance of the question lies in discussing women's work on street stalls as one of the repercussions of the war and the collapse of the state and its institutions. Under harsh and exceptional circumstances, this type of work in street corners became non-optional and involuntary as women were forced into it to preserve some dignity and honor, and to seek a source of livelihood and survival."
The Spread of Poverty
For his part, economics professor at Taiz University, Dr. Maeen Al-Huwaish, told “Khuyut”: “In general, women's involvement in street vending can be categorized as part of productive family project activities, which is beneficial for the national economy as it contributes to maximizing the utilization of society’s limited resources. Further, women constitute a large portion of the population, and their unemployment represents a waste of an important community resource.”
Hence, this type of work requires support and encouragement from the community and relevant authorities. It is essential to develop and implement a range of initiatives that ensure vocational training, financial support for productive families, and the establishment of sales outlets for their products. Additionally, there must be legislative measures to provide protection for these activities in the initial phase. In the subsequent phase, the productive families that excel in their work should be supported and transformed into commercial enterprises contributing to sustainable development.
Al-Huwaish added: "In the context of Yemen, due to the difficult economic conditions resulting from the ongoing war, the non-payment or insufficiency of salaries, and the declining job opportunities, living standards have deteriorated, purchasing power has decreased, and poverty rates have increased, leading to a rise in the number of needy and poor families across Yemen. Consequently, this situation has driven women to work in various professions, including street vending, which has gained relative acceptance in society and has increasingly spread. This work provides many women with job opportunities, securing a source of livelihood for them and their families. Additionally, it meets the needs and desires of customers with quality products at reasonable prices, affordable within the community's purchasing power."
“During the nine years of war, Yemenis have suffered from severe shortages of imported grains, with queues of people lining up for long hours at humanitarian aid distribution points to receive small quantities of flour.”
Labor Market Deterioration
According to a survey conducted by the International Labor Organization and the Central Statistical Organization in 2015—the last survey conducted before the outbreak of the war—the unemployment rate rose to 13.5% in 2014, up from 11.5% in 1999, while the labor force participation rate declined from 45.9% of the working-age population to 36.3% during the same period. The Yemen Labor Force Survey (2013–2014) utilized updated international statistical standards and criteria and was published after several years of data collection and analysis in collaboration with the International Labor Organization and Yemen's Central Statistical Organization.
In this respect, Frank Hagemann, the Acting Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Arab States, said: “The survey confirms that labor market conditions were deteriorating even before the current conflict. Given that youth constitute the largest segment of the population, all parties should be aware that if the current conditions persist, another generation of Yemenis will be deprived of decent work and the opportunity to enjoy a better life.”
According to the survey, the youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) has reached 24.5%, nearly double the national average. Furthermore, almost half of the unemployed youth (45%) are not engaged in any form of training or education.
Likewise, Patrick Daru, Skills and Employability Expert at the ILO Regional Office for Arab States, said: "The survey also highlighted a stark mismatch between individuals' skill levels and the positions they hold. This mismatch occurs either because workers lack the appropriate skills for jobs or because the skills they have acquired in the labor market are not formally recognized through certifications."
The survey also revealed that only 4.5% of Yemeni women of working age are employed. It further found that the female unemployment rate, at 26.1%, is more than double that of men, which stands at 12.3%. On average, women earn 40,400 Yemeni riyals per month, compared to 53,300 riyals for men, with the national average being 52,500 riyals.
Shortage of Supplies
Umm Mohammed, 42 years old, starts her day from the Hamdan area (northwest of Sana'a), carrying a basket on her head, setting off from her home near Wadi Dhahr, hoping to sell her goods. Her work in the market begins at ten in the morning and continues until one in the afternoon. Sometimes, she moves from one place to another, especially during the midday period, as she explains to "Khuyut".
She adds, "I work here throughout the month of Ramadan every year because people usually tend to buy more during this month; it's our season, as there is a reasonable demand," noting that her average daily sales range from 250 to 350 pieces.
While sitting under a dilapidated umbrella, she points out the difficulties she faces, including the harassment by the municipality during peak working hours. She expresses her happiness when the municipality workers leave without forcing her to move to a back area where customers do not come. In addition, the high price of wheat is among the most important obstacles she encounters.
As a result of the Russian war on Ukraine, the country has experienced a significant shortage of wheat, especially since the country imports 31% of its food supplies from Russia and 13% from Ukraine, according to figures issued by the Ministry of Industry.
During the past years of war, Yemenis have suffered from severe shortages of imported grains, with queues of people lining up for long hours at humanitarian aid distribution points to receive small quantities of flour.
For its part, the internationally recognized government announced that it has submitted a request to India to exempt Yemen from the export ban measures on cereals that it recently announced, to avoid the catastrophe of entering into famine, due to food insecurity resulting from the global crisis.
On May 5, 2022, India announced the exemption of Yemen from the decision to ban the export of wheat outside the country, amidst the global crisis affecting this essential food commodity due to the war between the two largest wheat-exporting countries, Russia and Ukraine.
