RANEEM KHALOUF

Damascus – The pursuit of securing "a loaf of bread" has turned into a continuous battle for survival and a challenge beyond physical and health capabilities, especially for women, reaching or potentially reaching what can be described as a phenomenon of livelihood and psychological anxiety linked to daily economic challenges.

Women in Syria today face a double burden: they are required to work long hours beyond their capacity, in harsh environments, to secure a minimum income that is immediately eroded by successive waves of high prices, rising fuel and basic commodity prices, and the deterioration of the currency against the dollar.

Awsaf Sarhan (46 years old) works in the cleaning department of a large hotel in Damascus. She is the daughter of the countryside of Masyaf in Hama city. She knocked on Damascus's door 20 years ago to begin her life struggle to get a job suited to her health condition, as she suffers from an eye condition caused by diabetes.

She worked in one of Damascus's bakeries for 10 years under an annual contract, but was dismissed after the fall of the Baathist regime. She then turned to freelance work, and today works for a wage not exceeding one and a half million Syrian pounds, half of which she spends on renting a room unfit for living in one of Damascus's informal settlements.

About the recent price rises, she says: "I think daily that I have 750,000 pounds left from my salary. I need 300,000 for medicine, and with 400,000 how can I live? How can a diabetic patient follow a proper diet? Despite that, I used to search for additional work to stave off hunger, but today after the rise in gasoline and diesel, everything has risen, as soon as the decision was issued."

The story of Awsaf Sarhan and her battle with an economic reality, despite her simple experience, resembles all Syrian women who fight to secure their daily bread under a difficult economic reality.

Resistance to Live

On 12 September, the relevant authorities issued a decision to raise fuel prices, a decision that met with rejecting echoes in the Syrian street. As a result, demonstrations erupted in Syrian cities, led by women in many governorates.

Commenting on the economic reality of women, journalist Aroub Hamoud told our agency: "The economic reality of women is currently fluctuating, and women suffer from a very difficult economic situation, especially since the woman controls the fair distribution of financial resources in the home, whether related to education or household provisions and basic necessities. Therefore, the burden on her is compound and heavy, and she is the first to be affected by price rises."

She confirmed that the vast majority of women work like men and more, and that they have the right to reject waves of high prices and the lack of livelihood security.

She said that the role of women is influential, whether during past years or currently. "The Syrian woman is the one who raised, protected, and worked under compelling and difficult conditions during the siege and during bombardment. During all these events, she was able to manage herself and her family with the resources available to her. Therefore, today the civil movement regarding prices and economic costs is not complete without women, because they are the guardians of the internal and external economy."

Journalist Aroub Hamoud emphasized the necessity of improving women's situation and achieving gender equality in access to administrative positions, given that the majority of administrations in all life paths are men, and therefore their salaries are higher. "A solution must be sought. Job opportunities must be provided for women that suit the expertise they possess."

Rights That Must Be Urgently Implemented

Psychologist and civil activist Ghina Najati explains that the economic situation of women is one of the topics in which clashes occur, and the reason is that "there are those who say that women are taking men's opportunities, and those who say that women are not getting their rights. But in truth, women need greater opportunities and laws that support them to achieve justice between them and men."

She also pointed to studies saying that the proportion of women in the labor market is lower than men, and men's wage rates are higher than women's, in addition to gender problems and the absence of laws supporting women.

She confirms that economic security is one of the most important points that women should strive for, so that she does not feel that she is dependent on anyone, even if it is her father. "This helps her prove herself, that she is an active member of society and the family, and helps her family."

A woman has the right to choose work that suits her, her capabilities, her specialization, and her time, as she explains, pointing to many studies that concluded that a working woman can organize her time. Ghina Najati also encourages all women to enter the labor market, even if it begins as training and then work, no matter how much time it takes.