Master’s Degree Awarded to Researcher Fatima Sharaf Al-Deen from the Inclusive Development Research Center
Researcher Fatima Abudrahman Sharaf-Al-Deen has been awarded a Master’s degree with distinction in International Development and Gender Studies (English track) from the Inclusive Development Research Center at Sana’a University. She successfully defended her thesis, titled “Motives and Challenges of Women Enterprises during Conflict in YemenC ase study (The Capital Secretariat) 2017-2021” on Sunday, January 26, 2025.
The examination committee included Prof. Mohammed Yahya Yahya Al-Rafiq as the external examiner and chair; Assoc. Prof. Hamoud Ali Ali Al-Najjar as the primary supervisor and member; and Dr. Iman Ahmed Saleh Al-Jufi as the internal examiner and member.
The thesis aimed to explore the motivations driving women to start new ventures during the war in Yemen and the challenges they faced while establishing their projects.
The study revealed several key findings, including that the primary motivation for women to launch their businesses was to create a source of income to secure their families’ basic needs. However, women faced numerous challenges, such as societal customs that discouraged them from starting projects, lack of knowledge, and insufficient experience, all of which negatively impacted their ability to initiate businesses and market their products effectively.
In her thesis, the researcher provided several recommendations. Most notably, she emphasized the need for society and the government to encourage women to participate in economic matters, nation-building, innovation, and productivity. She highlighted the importance of fostering women’s self-actualization, enabling them to think wisely, plan effectively, and implement efficient strategies while becoming objective evaluators of their endeavors. Additionally, she urged policymakers to offer essential support to female entrepreneurs to help them successfully start and operate their businesses while recognizing the significant positive contributions these women make to their communities and society as a whole.
The defense session was attended by a diverse audience of academics, researchers, students, and other interested individuals, as well as the researcher’s colleagues and family members, who celebrated her remarkable achievement.
