Abstract :
Since the outbreak of the Somali civil war in 1991 a burgeoning flow of Somali refugees has spread all over the world. Ethiopia and Kenya have received the highest numbers of Somali refugees; however, Yemen has also received hundreds of thousands. Yemen is the only country on the Arabian Peninsula that has signed the Refugee Convention of 1951 and Somali refugees are accepted on a prima facie basis. Yet, the living and working conditions of Somali refugees in Yemen are far from ideal. Their social status in Yemeni society is low; they are often discriminated against and are blamed for the increasing unemployment rates, levels of crime, prostitution, presence of AIDS, and the loosening of moral values. The number of Somali women that come to Yemen on their own, without male relatives but sometimes accompanied by children, is remarkably high. In some cases, they experience the war directly, through rape or witnessing their relatives’ violent death. In other cases, they suffer from poverty and the lack of income-generating opportunities. Some marry on the way or soon after their arrival in Yemen in the hope that marriage will guarantee male protection, support, income, and an easier life. The alternative, living alone as a single woman in Yemen, is difficult. However, these marriages do not always last and thus, many women end up living alone with their children. Though Somali women are socially dependent on men in Yemen, they are economically independent. It is easier for women to find paid work in Yemen than for men. The large majority of Somali women are employed as domestic workers, cleaning the houses of Yemeni families, and they have often become the main providers for their families. Somali men find it difficult to accept their dependence on women. The changed gender relations result in tension, conflict, and the break-up of marriages
