Exploring the Intersection of Gender and Displacement in the Middle East and North Africa

When people are forced to leave their home countries and become refugees, do women experience displacement differently from men? How does humanitarian programming account for these differences? Gender is not considered often enough in studies of migrants and refugees — so in 2022 the Women’s Rights, Human Rights and Refugees Program of the Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East brought scholars together at the American University in Cairo’s Center for Migration and Refugee Studies, asking them to share their research on how gender and displacement intersect, and how policies toward displaced individuals account for gender. Their work revealed that while displacement can create gender-specific hardships or worsen existing inequalities, it can also create new opportunities and transform gender relations.

A panel of Houston-based experts — including women who have experienced displacement — introduced this work at the Baker Institute and discussed how men and women experience displacement differently in the U.S., as well as how policies can better account for gender. Read the full set of briefs on this topic in our online research library.

The event was sponsored by the Baker Institute Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East.

Follow @Baker_EPDCtrME on Twitter and join the conversation #BakerLive.

Registration

Registration has closed.

Baker Institute events are powered by the generous contributions of our supporters. Learn how you can make a donation or become a member of the Baker Roundtable.