Narratives of Syrian refugee women in Lebanon: Gender stereotypes and resilience in language practices

Abstract

Now in its ninth year, the Syrian crisis remains the largest humanitarian and displacement emergency of our time. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives, while millions more have fled the country, undertaking exhausting journeys in search for safety in neighboring countries. However, when they arrive, challenges are far from over as they have to adapt to new ways of life. With more than one million Syrian refugees, Lebanon hosts the largest concentration of refugees per capita, globally. This study offers an in-depth look into Syrian refugees’ livelihoods and coping strategies and an attempt to explore whether gender stereotypes have been influenced by forced displacement. In this context, qualitative research was conducted between April and July 2019 with 60 Syrian refugee female heads of households in Akkar and North Lebanon, whose ages ranged from 25 to 35. The primary focus is to analyze the words and expressions used by refugee women themselves to describe the challenges and opportunities they face, both as women and as refugees, and how far these affect their gender roles.