Left to carry households alone: War and the rise of women-headed households in Gaza

Invisible No More: Brief No. 1

A new UN Women analysis indicates a sharp increase in women who have become the primary heads of their households, taking on responsibility for supporting and sustaining their households. The analysis shows that women’s household headship extends beyond those formally recorded as household heads. It includes women whose husbands are missing, detained, separated or whose fate remains unknown, as well as women caring for husbands who are severely injured, disabled or otherwise unable to fulfil their previous household roles. In these circumstances, women are becoming the household’s principal caregiver, decision-maker, income or cashflow manager, aid recipient and point of contact with humanitarian assistance systems, while the household continues to be formally classified as male-headed.