Women-owned businesses gain ground in Yemen's hard-hit Taiz

Women in Yemen's Taiz are taking on larger roles in small business as war, joblessness and rising costs squeeze household incomes. Al Jazeera reports that restaurants, shops and food ventures run by women are becoming more visible in a city where public-facing commerce has long been dominated by men.

One example is Abu Sultan, a fast-food restaurant run by Baleegh Al-Doba'ai and his wife, Aziza. The couple work together each day after breakfast with their only child, with Baleegh leading the kitchen and Aziza overseeing the restaurant's operations, according to Al Jazeera.

The business sells burgers, fries, pizza and fried chicken, food common in many cities but less established in Taiz, which has endured siege and bombardment during Yemen's civil war. Baleegh, 36, previously worked in Saudi Arabia and told Al Jazeera he brought back both the idea and some equipment for the restaurant when he returned to Yemen.

He said the project was difficult to finance and manage alone, and credited Aziza with helping fund it and taking responsibility for management. Al Jazeera reported that the two-month-old restaurant serves about 30 customers a day and also delivers meals to students in the city.

Women step into public-facing work

Yemen's social expectations still often place men in paid work and women in charge of the home, Al Jazeera reported. Aziza told the outlet that some people were initially wary of a woman working in a restaurant, but said customers began to see her as the person in charge once they saw she had authority at the business.

She said her husband's support had been central to the arrangement and described their work as a partnership rather than a hierarchy. Al Jazeera reported that she greets customers, handles daily pressures at the restaurant and then returns home to family duties, which she said requires cooperation with her husband.

The couple's approach reflects a broader increase in women-led ventures in Taiz, according to people interviewed by Al Jazeera. Muthana Adimi, a 36-year-old customer, said he often chooses food businesses run by women because he associates them with care, cleanliness and fair prices.

Tareq Al-Mallah, 40, who owns a cleaning supplies and toy shop in Taiz, told Al Jazeera he has seen more women entering retail. He said he buys cleaning tools from a shop owned and managed by a woman, and said some of his female customers now prefer to buy from women-led businesses.

War reshapes family roles

Natheer Abdulhadi, a sociologist who has taught entrepreneurship to women, told Al Jazeera that the rise of women's businesses is linked to high male unemployment and severe financial pressure on families. He said income from women-run ventures has helped households cover children's needs, especially where war has disrupted earnings or removed a breadwinner.

Abdulhadi said the shift is also changing how families divide responsibility, giving women a stronger role in household decisions while they continue to carry domestic duties. His assessment points to economic pressure as one driver of a wider change in social practice.

Arwa Al-Omari, director of the businesswomen's unit in Taiz governorate, told Al Jazeera that women are increasingly sustaining their families through work rather than only receiving aid. She said humanitarian organisations have helped encourage women to start or expand enterprises.

Al-Omari said there are no firm figures for women-led businesses in Taiz because new ventures keep appearing. She told Al Jazeera that women can now be seen across markets managing shops and dealing directly with customers.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.