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Gallery|Human Rights

Syrian refugee women take on life in a man’s world

Many female Syrian refugees in Lebanon have become the sole breadwinners for their families.

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Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Amira Hassan al-Bdroun, 31, from Daraa, is now living in Baalbeck, Lebanon, after fleeing the Syrian war four years ago, fearing for the safety of her five children. "Women are now taking on traditionally male roles," said Bdroun, who is divorced. "For me, I never imagined myself working in a gas station. Now I am selling it and supporting refugees with their fuel allocations. This humanitarian work gives me the feeling I am an active agent in the community; drawing a smile on the refugees' faces makes me feel better. And all the time I am saying, as long as I am safe and my kids are safe, I have everything." Photographed during a Gender Empowerment session at the Action Aid centre in Baalbek. [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
By Celia Peterson
Published On 7 Mar 2016

Lebanon, with a population of 4.4 million, is currently acting as host to more than one million Syrian refugees – three-quarters of whom are women and children. As a consequence, many women are now supporting their families alone for the first time in their lives.

The mass influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon has put a severe strain on schools, hospitals and water supplies. Many refugees have exhausted their limited savings, and some have taken under-the-table jobs with low wages and poor working conditions to feed their families. The refugees also live with the constant threat of being deported back to Syria.

In the run-up to International Women’s Day next week, Al Jazeera met five Syrian women who have been struggling to survive in Lebanon.

Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Bdroun says she that legally she is not allowed to work in Lebanon. "The men smile and laugh when they see me working at the gas station," she said. "When you practice this kind of job, you have the feeling you are empowered. When I left Syria, I was so scared about how I would live alone, sleep alone in the garage at night with my kids; now I don’t care. I can work and walk around and I don't worry." [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
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Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Bdroun says her husband, who could not take care of the family, left them in a garage and went back to Syria. "I prefer this, as my husband was so aggressive and stressed," she said. "Last year, he tried to throw boiling water on me. I can take care of my kids. I try to make my kids proud of what I do, and to be a positive role model.” [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Bushra, 34, is currently living in Baalbeck with her mother, her brother and his family. They travelled from Damascus to Lebanon four months ago, after Bushra's father died. "When I first arrived here, there was a big void. I had no job; I roamed the streets not knowing what to do," Bushra said. [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Bushra keeps herself busy by fixing electronic products for her family. "I like to discover what is inside electric devices and so on," she said. "I find myself with free time and nothing to do, so when things break at home, I immediately begin working." She is thinking of opening a workshop. "Why not? The role of an electrician is mostly for men, but it shouldn't be exclusively for men. Why should it be them only?" [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Fatma Yahya, 30, from Damascus, is now living in Lebanon. She left Syria when the conflict started and is working as a hairdresser to support her husband - who has moved to Germany - and their children. She hopes that the whole family will relocate to Germany. [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Yahya lives in Baalbeck, a conservative area of Lebanon, where she says men are not always accepting of Syrian women taking on more traditionally male roles. "To be a successful woman is hard," she said. "I miss the time with my kids and my husband; I miss what they are doing at school and tracking their schoolwork, but I have to do this to survive." [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
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Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Ghroub Edriss, 40, from Homs, has been in Lebanon for almost four years. She lives in Baalbeck on a small farm with her husband and their three children. In Syria, her husband was a lawyer and she was a manager for a research centre. "I was born with a 'gold spoon' in my mouth," she said. [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Edriss says her husband's friend, a Lebanese doctor, invited them to live on his small farm, look after the property and sell water to neighbours. For each lorryload, they receive 5,000 Lebanese pounds ($3). [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
"When we came to Baalbeck, I isolated myself with my kids for almost six months. I was really depressed," Edriss said. "After a while, I started working on the farm. As my husband was away some of the time, I ended up driving the truck and selling the water in the neighbourhood. The men were surprised seeing me drive the truck, [but] women are equal to men - we are sisters of men. In my family, we are all equal." [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
Khuloud Kerbash, 32, a refugee from Sweida, Syria, studied accounting in university but now works as a painter in Baalbeck, Lebanon. [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]
Women in a Man''s world/ Please Do Not Use
"I wish to do all men's jobs. I wish there was equality between men and women," Khuloud said while working at a client's home in Baalbeck. "I, for example. .. love cleaning the house and taking care of my home a lot. At the same time, I like to be a 'man' outside - I mean, to be self-sufficient and with a strong personality. I feel very, very happy that I am doing something that is difficult for a man or a woman to think of. I feel very happy." [Celia Peterson/Action Aid/Al Jazeera]