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“I work for the General Organisation of Tobacco on a contract basis, but my contract wasn’t renewed at the beginning of this year. Which means I lost my family’s main source of income, seeing as my husband had already retired,” says Umm Alaa, a woman living in the al-Barda area of southern rural Damascus.
Faced with difficult economic conditions, Umm Alaa decided to start making sweets, a craft she excels at. She began offering her products to local confectionery shops, selling them as homemade goods. It was challenging at first, especially since sweets are considered a luxury in working-class neighborhoods. So she turned to making dairy products and cheeses, which are in greater demand.
“The income is nowhere near proportional to the effort that goes into the work,” Umm Alaa continues. “I do most of the work on my own. I don’t accept help from my husband because men aren’t skilled at this kind of work.” This makes her work take much longer. But, she concludes, “We’re surviving, by the grace of God. Others can’t even find enough to eat.”
This is not an isolated experience. Many women like Umm Alaa have lost their primary sources of income and are searching for alternative ways to support their families.
Today, around 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line, amid a crippling economic crisis stemming from the ravages of war and the collapse of the national currency. The Syrian pound has plummeted from 50 pounds to the US dollar in 2011 to around 14,000 pounds today. Public-sector salaries currently average between USD 80 and 100 per month, while wages in the private sector and in international organizations typically range between USD 200 and 500. The official minimum wage of 750,000 Syrian pounds covers only two and a half days of a Syrian family’s basic needs, according to the Kassioun cost-of-living index. Approximately 12.9 million people face food insecurity, while more than a quarter of the population lacks employment that would enable them to secure a livelihood. Wages are insufficient to meet even the most basic needs.
Since 2011, Syria has witnessed successive waves of hyperinflation, reaching levels approaching 188% annually at times, while the average annual inflation rate during the war years exceeded 40%. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) confirmed this grim reality, indicating that nine out of every ten Syrians live in poverty.
When everyday skills become tools for survival
Although the income generated by such activities is unstable and lacks any form of legal protection, many women still prefer it to working outside the home, especially given Syria’s ongoing security concerns.
This is the case for Hanadi al-Homsi, who lives in the town of Sahnaya in rural Damascus and owns the crochet business “Makramiti.”
Initially, al-Homsi’s project was more of a hobby, a way to fill her free time, but it has since transformed into a source of income that supports her household. She started from scratch, using raw materials and yarn readily available at home. She then developed her skills online and tried to market her work through social media.
She faced dismissive attitudes from some people who argued that what she was doing was a waste of time and unnecessary. “Working from home provides a safe and comfortable environment,” she asserts, “and you control your own time. You decide how to divide it among responsibilities for the business and the family.”
Although the income generated by such activities is unstable and lacks any form of legal protection, many women still prefer it to working outside the home, especially given Syria’s ongoing security concerns.
Fragile empowerment: Income without protection or stability
This reality places women in a precarious position, especially given market fluctuations. The lack of formal recognition makes it difficult for these projects to survive or grow, leaving their future uncertain. This raises an important question about the nature of such activities: do they challenge traditional gender roles, or simply reproduce them in a new form?
In many cases, these enterprises never truly move beyond the boundaries of the home; they may reinforce women’s presence within it, even if in a more productive capacity. Despite the flexibility offered by working from home, in the living room, it remains tied to the idea that the home is the “natural” sphere for women’s work. Here a contradiction emerges: women work, produce, and generate income, yet this labor is added to the unpaid caregiving and domestic responsibilities they already shoulder every day.
Still, these experiences cannot be reduced to a mere reproduction of traditional roles. There is a real shift, however limited. Many women are experiencing for the first time what it means to have their own income or the ability to make decisions without being dependent on an employer or family. This space may be narrow, but it remains significant because it fosters self-confidence and opens the possibility of imagining different futures.
In this sense, it can be said that the home-based economy is still a largely ambiguous space. It doesn’t grant women full liberation, but it does shift the previously existing dynamic of dependency.
Nataline, the owner of Nataline Restaurant in western rural Homs, shared a similar story. She worked in the food sector for years, but her business hadn’t grown and barely covered the costs of food and drink. Eventually, with the support of a friend of her daughter’s, an expatriate living in Germany, the project received financial backing and was transformed into a fully integrated business that could serve as a reliable source of income for the entire family—something that had previously seemed impossible. The costs of equipment, permits, commercial registration, and other start-up requirements demanded capital far beyond what a small home-based business could provide.
“Maybe I got lucky,” she says, “but there are many other women who still need support for their projects.”
Toward a more equitable economy for women
This type of economic activity has helped many families meet their basic needs, particularly those that have lost their primary breadwinner. It has also provided women with a measure of economic security and, in some cases, protection from various forms of violence that can arise from a lack of financial independence.
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, at least 177,057 people have been forcibly disappeared over the course of 15 years of conflict, the majority of them men.
Despite the relative economic stabilization that has begun to emerge following the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, and the subsequent lifting of European and US sanctions on Syria, women continue to occupy the most vulnerable position in this complex and fragile transitional period.
Speaking to Medfeminiswiya, activist Rima Sawah explains, “In one way or another, this type of economic activity contributes to the broader economy and to the country’s economic life. But what we truly fear is the current unplanned economic liberalization, which directly impacts local products and, in turn, the micro-enterprises run by women—whether in crochet, candle-making, or even confectionery production. Yet despite their modest scale, these projects can often generate a decent income, particularly when women receive training in marketing and market-related skills. This is something we incorporate into every program we organize for women. At the end of each workshop or training session, we hold awareness-raising discussions on economic empowerment and how it can be used as a tool to prevent gender-based violence.”
Sawah adds that while such projects offer many benefits, they also come with significant challenges. The absence of legal frameworks to protect these businesses leaves some women vulnerable to fraud, particularly when transactions take place online. They may also be exposed to various forms of electronic violations. Therefore, it is important to intensify awareness campaigns to protect women from violations, safeguard their financial rights, and advocate for effective legislation that can genuinely support and sustain these projects.
