Yemen

Yemen is a Middle Eastern country with a coastline on the Gulf of Aden and shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman. The per capita gross domestic product is $2,500 almost half (45.2 percent) of the population lives below the poverty line. Most of the population of 22.9 million are Arabs, and Islam is the predominant religion. Although the law specifies equal rights and opportunities for all citizens, in reality women suffer pervasive discrimination in part as a result of social customs, as well as Sharià-based law. Polygamy is legal, and female genital mutilation, although outlawed, is still practiced.

In 2009, the World Economic Forum rated Yemen as the most unequal in terms of gender of the 134 countries studied. On a scale from 0 (inequality) to 1 (perfect equality), Yemen ranked 0.461 overall it has held the last place among countries studied since 2006. On health and survival, Yemen scores 0.980 (first), on educational attainment 0.615 (133rd), on economic participation and opportunity 0.233 (134th), and on political empowerment 0.016 (133rd).

Only 39 percent of Yemeni women are literate (vs. 76 percent of men), and although 65 percent of Yemeni girls are enrolled in primary school, only 26 percent are enrolled in secondary school and 5 percent in tertiary education. Twenty-three percent of women are in the labor force versus 67 percent of men. Women hold 15 percent of professional and technical jobs and make up only 4 percent of legislators, senior officials, and managers.

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