The Empowerment of Refugee Women
Abstract This research aims to analyse the empowerment of Syrian refugee women after their arrival in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Relying on the theoretical framework on ‘campzenship’, this study aims to highlight the role of camps in providing protection and practical benefits to newcomers with limited resources. This study is pertinent to contribute to the narrative that women are not merely passive victims, but active agents of social and economic change.
Through primary and secondary data
collection, the findings from this research will provide evidence that the change in geographical and socio-political status of Syrian refugee women, has caused a shift in socio-economic status which challenges cultural norms of patriarchy and gender inequality. Furthermore, it highlights that the legal frameworks between UNHCR and the government of Jordan have been instrumental in creating this change leading to women’s empowerment. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that while camps do have negative and irreversible consequences in many cases, they can also be the grounds for instigating positive socio-economic change.
Keywords: Zaatari camp; campzenship; Syrian refugees; Jordan; empowerment
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