Lessons from women entrepreneurs in Yemen
What happens to everyday life — work, families, and futures — when a country faces years of conflict and economic uncertainty? And how do women create new opportunities for themselves and their communities in the middle of war?
Join Dr Elizabeth Mills (University of Sussex), and Sussex alumni Dr Alia Aghajanian (World Bank) and Dr Aparna John (World Bank) for a thought-provoking session on how women entrepreneurs in Yemen are changing gender dynamics, navigating economic instability, and building businesses in one of the world’s most challenging contexts.
Drawing on Yemeni women’s powerful photographs and stories, we’ll share research that challenges some common assumptions. While conflict should be understood as mainly destructive, our research shows that it can also create unexpected opportunities for social and economic change. We also rethink empowerment, not as a single moment or endpoint, but as a spectrum shaped by social, economic and political limitations and opportunities.
This session is for sixth form students taking Economics, Business Studies, Sociology, Geography, Politics, Religious Studies, and Philosophy, and current University of Sussex students and staff.
In this session you will:
- learn how academic research is carried out in real-world conflict settings
- learn how qualitative and visual methods can be used alongside economic analysis
- learn how global institutions like the World Bank, work alongside universities such as the University of Sussex to influence policy.