DaysofPal- The Palestinian Center for Political Studies revealed on Monday that the war in the Gaza Strip has led to an unprecedented rise in female-headed households, as the number of widows has surpassed 22,000.
In an analytical paper titled “Female Breadwinners in Gaza: War Economy and the Reproduction of Social Poverty,” the center explained that the loss of primary earners due to the war has triggered profound changes within the Palestinian family structure. Tens of thousands of children, the study noted, have lost one or both parents, reshaping the social fabric of the enclave.
The study said that these changes are taking place in the context of a collapsing war economy, characterized by a collapsing labor market and historically high rates of female unemployment.
At the same time, there has been a significant expansion of the informal economy, largely dependent on aid and precarious forms of work. This shift has forced many women into the role of providers without access to sustainable means of production.
The report highlighted that women in Gaza are now bearing compounded responsibilities, combining economic provision with full-time caregiving. This comes amid the absence of effective social protection systems, intensifying economic, psychological, and social pressures on them.
Long-Term Social Impact
The paper warned that these changes are not temporary but reflect a deep structural transformation that could entrench poverty across generations. Without a shift from short-term humanitarian relief to sustainable economic empowerment policies, the study cautioned, the current trajectory risks perpetuating long-term social vulnerability.
It stressed that addressing this phenomenon requires a comprehensive vision that integrates female breadwinners into productive sectors and reconstruction efforts, recognizing them as active agents in recovery rather than passive recipients of aid.
Field data cited in the report underscores the magnitude of the crisis facing women in Gaza. Women have been at the forefront of both suffering and survival, with figures indicating that more than 6,020 families have been effectively wiped out, leaving only a single survivor in many cases, often a woman or a child. Additionally, around 2,700 families have been completely eradicated and removed from the civil registry.
For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Women’s Affairs stated that the killing of husbands and the detention of thousands of men have forced tens of thousands of women to become sole providers for their families, all while enduring extremely harsh humanitarian and economic conditions.
The findings paint a stark picture of a society undergoing rapid and painful transformation, where women are increasingly at the center of both resilience and hardship in the face of prolonged conflict.
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