{"id":2066,"date":"2019-03-24T00:13:09","date_gmt":"2019-03-23T21:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2019-03-24T00:13:09","modified_gmt":"2019-03-23T21:13:09","slug":"hamtramck-low-participation-from-women-in-the-workforce-but-things-are-changing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/hamtramck-low-participation-from-women-in-the-workforce-but-things-are-changing\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamtramck: Low participation from women in the workforce.. But things are changing"},"content":{"rendered":"

YAN – Hamtramck<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"As the Yemeni community in Hamtramck grows in number and influence, community activists are calling for greater participation from women in the workforce.
\nAccording to 2017 US Census estimates, only 27.7 of women over the age of 16 in Hamtramck are employed.
\nSome old traditions may prevent women from seeking jobs in a largely conservative Yemeni community.
\nHowever, activists are emphasising the need for Yemeni American women to pursue higher education and work to increase the productivity of their families and community, noting that change is already underway.
\nJaleelah Ahmed, the English Language Development Director at Hamtramck Schools said the schools and the community are working to improve the chances of newcomers from Yemen of getting a job and turn them into cultural leaders.
\nShe emphasised learning English as a key to advancing and empowering immigrant women.
\n\u201cThe facilitators and liaisons are working with parents to help them transition into the new country while developing their English proficiency skills,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cMany people are seeing improvements and positive changes as the Yemeni Women are becoming a part of the professional workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Change in views\u2019<\/strong>
\nFor her part, Hanan Muhsin, an elementary teacher at Dickinson East and a resident of seven years at Hamtramck, said progress is being made and more Yemeni American women are joining the workforce.
\n\u201cI have witnessed a change in views, and there is more acceptance of Yemeni Women in the work field,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like more and more people understand the positive impact of having a role model to their daughters and the new generation.\u201d
\nNawal Almasmari, an elementary school teacher and Hamtramck resident, stressed the need for Yemeni American women to pursue higher education, even if they don\u2019t plan on joining the workforce.
\n\u201cI am viewed as a woman who got an education and is giving back to her community and is an encouragement for girls to get an education,\u201d she said. \u201cI always tell them that getting an education does not necessarily mean you have to get a job. You need it in your pocket because you never know what the world holds for you. If you ever need it, it\u2019s there.\u201d
\nAlmasmari said opportunities for Yemeni American women in Hamtramck are improving overall, with many finding work in the school system, a field that was more difficult to get into in the past.
\n\u201cWhile [it\u2019s] still a very small group compared to the large community, it is a start, the facilitators, teachers, liaisons, paraprofessionals, and directors of Yemeni descent are setting a positive example of Yemeni women professionals to encourage and promote education for all females of all ages,\u201d she said. \u201cAs educators, we have a commitment to engage all community members and all learners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Traditions<\/strong>
\nEmployers in Hamtramck say they are eager to hire more Yemeni American women to reflect the diversity of the city.
\nMoortadha Obeid, the manager of Royal Kabob restaurant, acknowledged that \u201ctraditions\u201d may get in the way of women from the community seeking work. Still, more Yemeni women can be seen working at pharmacies and medical clinics.
\n\u201cWe hope that Yemeni women achieve a greater presence in the workforce in the future,\u201d Obeid said.
\nTawfic Aljahim, who owns a shop in the city, called for changing social values that prevent women from working.
\n\u201cThere is no shame in work,\u201d Aljahim said. \u201cAnd this will inevitably change. It\u2019s changing already. I think the new generation will be more accepting and encouraging of working women in our community, especially that our girls seem to be doing better in school than their male counterparts.\u201d
\nAbu Mohammed, a Hamtramck resident, said even in Yemen women were active in the affairs of their villages alongside men, until an alien, \u201cextremist ideology\u201d that enforced face covering came to the country.
\nHe explained that when Yemenis first immigrated to Hamtramck in the 1970s, the community consisted of mostly men, but as more families started to join, traditions relating to women were brought in with them.
\n\u201cNow we are settled here, and therefore women\u2019s participation in the workforce is needed for the family,\u201d Abu Mohammed said.<\/p>\n

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