There is something uniquely fascinating about these disruptions to global and national social order. The outbreak of COVID-19 with its social, economic, and political turmoil finally made us realise how our governance, social structures, and policies created at top-down patriarchal institutions no longer fit the world's new realities. It forced us to acknowledge the urgency for transformative social change and alternative voices and solutions. Hence, why on a global scale we are recognizing and celebrating the role that women are playing in the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and response.
The disruption of national and societal order represents new opportunities to break away from old certainties of modern societies, unequal power dynamics, structures of institutions, and governance. For me, this is the moment that we can create endless possibilities for gender equality, participation, and positive social norms.
For the month of April, I will write several blog series exploring the positive impact of social disruption and its opportunities for transformative social change on gender equality. Looking at how Yemen's conflict opens the doors for radical possibilities for women's participation and leadership. How local women-led organisations and grassroots activist are using this time of peace-building to cultivate and plant the seeds for a new revolutionary society.
The opportunities that war brings to women's participation in society.
Like the global health pandemic that is re-shaping our societies and way of living, conflict and wars also provides social change opportunities for gender equality, particularly women's participation and leadership.
Yes, I know this sounds absurd. As someone working in conflict, humanitarian and peace-building, the idea that war can bring about women's right is indeed a paradoxical concept that is both uncomfortable and optimistic.
However, wars, revolutions, and violence have always been a recurring feature across our human history. It is how nation-states have been established, how societies have re-organised themselves, creating institutions, principles, and values.
When we think about current wars, we tend to think about this in terms of the human suffering, trauma and long term destruction, such as the breakdown of societal infrastructure, health, education and economy; this creates the paradox nature of wars because conflict disproportionality affects women and girls more, for example in Yemen, not only are they impacted by the direct fighting, and airstrikes but also the everyday structural violence such as rape, kidnapping, street harassment, as well as their inability to access social health services, protection or humanitarian assistance.
The endless possibilities created by war
While Yemen's conflict has created these negative gendered impacts, at the same time it has also paved the way for window opportunities towards radical social changes on gender relations, equality, and women's rights.
Suppose we understand the process of conflict and war as the breakdown of institutions, governance social infrastructures. In that case, it also equates to the disruption of social order that have long promoted harmful gendered norms, beliefs, attitudes, behavior's and practices embedded in patriarchy.
This is what is taking place in Yemen; six years of conflict have led to the dramatic shift in societal gender roles and expectation, increasing women's participation and leadership within society, communities and households.
There is an emerging, gendered revolution that is currently taking place in Yemen and led by grassroots women and girls who are recognising this moment of disruption to move away from old social formations and instead create these radical social changes to their lives and society;
New economic opportunities and participation
In a country like Yemen, where women's role were mainly confined to private spaces such as home, one of the most significant and positive impact of Yemen's war and its disruption is the sudden increase of their economic role and sovereignty.
Due to the economic impact of the war, combined with the loss of employment for men, there has been a dramatic shift in the traditional social norms around the 'male breadwinner'. Men are no longer able to be the sole provider to cover household responsibilities. In the worst-case scenario, violence has led to the absence of husband, fathers and brothers, leaving families and women to fend for themselves economically.
However, what started as a social disruption to national economy and household responsibilities led to radical transformation for women's participation within Yemen's society and communities.
In the last few years, women have become economically invested, finding opportunities to learn and gain vocational skills, knowledge, setting up their small business initiatives, and becoming empowered individuals within their household and communities. Yemeni women and girls are finding innovative and alternative solutions to cope with the economic impact of the war, and the COVID-19 disruption, for example, turning their homes into a place of business, using social media platform like what's app and facebook to sell products
Interestingly, men are no longer the head of the households; alternatively women are now taking up decision-making power and control over household financial resources, assets and working outside the home to help support the family.
These shifts in social roles and responsibilities also lead to positive changes in behavior and potentially power relations by challenging traditional patriarchy norms around male authority and women's relegation to the domestic sphere. Women and girls are becoming more actively involved in society, taking up economic empowerment initiatives and attending community peace-building activities.
Women's everyday agency and freedom is becoming more visible and socially accepted. So, in this case, while the economic and social disruption of the war inevitably created difficulty for families and communities, it has also created an opportunity for the society to move from patriarchy practices and perception of women's role in society, paving the way for the new possibilities for women's equal participation in a post-conflict society.