The women of Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the world, are still struggling to move forward and gain equal rights. Although the Arab Spring swept through the country and ousted longtime dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh in late 2011, it did little to help women’s social status. Yemen still ranks at the bottom of the global gender gap for access to health, education, and economic opportunities, according to the World Economic Forum. Twenty-five percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 are severely malnourished, and more than 80 percent of women in the country are illiterate. Since there is no legal minimum-age requirement for marriage, more than 50 percent of Yemeni girls are wed before the age of 18. Yemen also has a maternal mortality rate that is 10 times higher than that in the United States.
In this week’s Newsweek, Janine di Giovanni writes about the land of invisible women. Photographer Abbie Trayler-Smith captured images to accompany.