Introduction: I am Cassandra Ng Yi Fang a citizen of Yemen.

And today, I want to

explore the issue of gender inequality for the females in Yemens society.
My research question is How can Yemeni females overcome gender inequality and
stand on equal footing with males in society?
Good afternoon fellow citizens of Yemen, I am Cassandra and I am representing the
women of Yemen to fight for our rights in this country plagued with gender inequality.

Let us first understand the background of the problem in Yemen.

The World Economic Forum revealed that women are not likely to reach economic
equality with men until the year 2133. It is evident that the world and not just
Yemen, are still lacking behind in terms of gender equality.

The annual Global Gender Gap report tracks changes in equality between men and
women. In 2015, the Global Gender Gap reports that Yemen is placed last among
the 145 countries involved in this research with countries such as Iceland, Norway
and Finland topping the list. This shows that there is great gender inequality
revolving around females like myself in Yemen.

Why is this a major problem? As a country, Yemen will not progress if we do

not start to give all females regardless of their age their deserved
opportunities.

There are severe disparities between men and women in terms of education,
livelihood opportunities, protection and political representation in Yemen.
(Humanitarianresponse.info, 2016) This is a pressing issue because we are
currently living in a modern society and everyone should have equal rights be
it to education, politics or even a say in the household.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation, when

people regardless of gender improve themselves, they will become valuable
assets to the country and help propel the country to do better economically
and politically.

Moving on to the cause of the problem, the cause of gender inequality in

Yemen is due to the discrimination girls face due to cultural norms and a
patriarchal society.

Firstly, cultural norms is the root of gender inequality. In an interview done by

the University of Mysore Institute of Development Studies and Organisation for the
Development of People (ODP), Yemen students were asked about how they feel
about gender inequality in the country. Khadija a microbiology research scholar in the
University said that: Problem lies in our mind. Thus we need to change. I have
visited many countries and understood the fact that we must change our mindset and
respect women. It shows that gender inequality comes from the mind.

For instance, Yemen has a high rate of females undergoing genital mutilation. It has
a 23% prevalence rate of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in 2014, based on the
most recent study published by UNICEF on the prevalence of FGM in Africa and the
Middle East.
The World Health Organisation has said that FGM "reflects deep-rooted inequality
between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against
women,"

Therefore, the society is brought up associating such inhumane acts as ok

for girls which spark gender inequality in Yemen.

Secondly, living in a patriarchal society naturally bring about gender

discrimination. The cultural upbringing of people in Yemen is conditioned to see the
male as a superior gender.

UNICEF reported that two out of three women in Yemen are illiterate. The Social
Affairs Ministry has said that more than a quarter of Yemen's females marry before
age 15 and Yemen also has no female members of parliament, and only one in ten
ministerial positions are held by women.

The fact that schools, the workforce and the government are dominated by
males sends a strong message that females are portrayed as unimportant in
Yemens society and are not really involved in any affairs at all.

The Director at the Organization for the Development of People said that: Women
have been considered holy in every religion. But in reality, women are discriminated
by the society which is patriarchal. This shows evidence that a patriarchal
society exists in Yemen and gender discrimination against women is a real
problem.

I will be talking about the two possible impacts of the problem in Yemen next.

In terms of an economic perspective, Yemen will lack behind economically due

to gender inequality.

As stated in The Huffington Post, gender discrimination is a major impediment to the

countrys growth as it prevents countries from reaching their maximum productivity.
Yemen will not progress in areas such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) if the
issue of gender inequality is not solved.

In addition, The Global Gender Gap Report has also shown that having more women
in the workforce contributes to economic productivity.

This is the first impact of gender inequality in Yemen. Due to gender inequality,
girls are unable to take up important jobs such as teachers, doctors and
ministerial roles in the workforce.

When educated women enter the workforce, the average annual gross domestic
product (GDP) can increase by 0.37%. (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, 2010)

When females are not given equal opportunities in the economic sector,
Yemen will lack behind in comparison with other countries.

The second impact is a social impact girls in Yemen face extreme social
discrimination.
For instance, out-of-school rates are higher among girls as compared to boys in
Yemen due to gender inequality. According to Humanitarian Response, they are the
first to be withdrawn from school to save money or be engaged in early marriages.
Gender roles such as working in agriculture, fetching water in rural areas as well as a
general lack of appreciation for girls education explain their lower attendance rates.
Instead of fulfiling social responsibilities such as receiving education, girs are
forced to work or be engaged in child marriages as young as 13 years old.

The Humanitarian Needs Overview reported that girls represent 63% of school
dropout children in Yemen. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization journal, when girls have secondary education, child
marriage would drop by up to 64%. Hence when girls are being treated equally
and given education in Yemen, child marriages is prevented and social
discrimination will be eradicated in society.

My next point is how can we solve the problem? The government has a huge
responsibility in reducing gender inequality in Yemen.

According to The Huffington Post, egregious gender inequality still exists globally
despite substantial national and international measures that have been taken
towards gender equality. More needs to be done to combat gender inequality at
a global scale and actions needs to be done in Yemen for the females suffering
this prejudice.

The most important thing to do is to change the mindset people in Yemen have
towards females. The current actions Yemen have in place to target gender
inequality is not directed at the root cause of the problem.

Instead, measures such as educating women teachers to teach in school and

criminalising the practice of female genital mutilation are implemented instead.
According to the Human Rights Watch.

These solutions do not target the real issue and hence did not make significant
changes to gender inequality in Yemen. Changing peoples opinion and
mindset in Yemen instead can solve the issue of gender inequality. The key
person involved is men in society. Only when we change the mindset of men
can we target gender inequality in Yemen.

The government can come up with campaigns to convey the message that a
woman's role in society is crucial.

Posters and flyers with a simple message and graphic easy to understand can be
used. The government can send representatives to different areas in Yemen to give
out flyers and spread the message of gender equality.

This solution is targeted at educating and generating understanding of gender

inequality among people in society.

This is an adaption of the HeForShe campaign by the United Nations, where the UN
launches a campaign to involve men in reducing gender inequality in India by 2030.
The same principle of changing mindset is used.
The government can also partner with companies and business owners to
educate employees on gender inequality, the importance of women and start to
integrate women into the workforce. This way, women have a chance to prove
that they are valuable to society.

Through integration and letting men understand women more, we can change the
mindset people have about them. Through these changes, the problem of a
patriarchal society can be reduced and women can start competing on equal
ground with men in the long run.

Conclusion: When men are educated about the harsh treatment women face in
society and their rights are promoted, we can gather empathy and promote gender
equality in Yemen. We can teach people in society to recognise that gender
inequality is not transparent, it comes from cultural norms and the presence of
a patriarchal society. Changing the mindset of society can reduce gender
discrimination.

In conclusion, gender inequality in Yemen is an urgent issue. By solving it, we

can ensure a better livelihood for females and ensure the advancement of the
country. We can change cultural norms in Yemen and reduce the presence of a
patriarchal society together. Gender equality is possible in Yemen and I
strongly urge that actions be taken for a better future for Yemen. Thank you!