UN Women said that nearly a quarter of households in Gaza are headed by women, including widows and women whose husbands are missing, detained, seriously injured, forcibly disappeared, or whose fate remains unknown. The agency highlighted the suffering these women endure under the ongoing “unbearable living conditions” in the Gaza Strip. In a new report released Tuesday, UN Women stated that an estimated 86,290 households are currently headed by women, double the number before October 2023. In a briefing to journalists in Geneva on Tuesday, the head of the humanitarian action division, Sofia Kaltorp, confirmed that the agency witnessed “a harrowing amount of collective pain” when speaking with women in Gaza.
She explained: “Women face the bitterness of losing a husband and father to their children, while simultaneously bearing the full responsibility of managing the household, protecting their families, and providing for their needs, all amidst extremely difficult and increasingly dire living conditions.”
According to UN Women, female-headed households in Gaza face greater hardship than male-headed households, as they are more likely to lack shelter, food, and money.
In this context, Kaltorp stated, “Around 7 out of 10 female-headed households lack adequate shelter, compared to 55% of male-headed households. Three-quarters of female-headed households reported damage to their homes, compared to two-thirds of male-headed households. Female-headed households have been displaced an average of eight times since October 2023, compared to seven times for male-headed households.”
