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Taiz, Yemen Passing Abu Sultan’s restaurant in Taiz, one can’t help but notice the Yemeni phenomenon of a husband and wife working together. They share a common goal: to earn a stable income for their family and bring fresh food to the Yemeni capital.
The husband-and-wife team serves up burgers, fries, pizza, and fried chicken, something that’s common in cities around the world but rarely in Taiz, which has been besieged and bombed in Yemen’s civil war.
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In Yemen, parental responsibility still dictates that fathers work while mothers are the ones who run the household and prioritize work before starting other jobs.
The lives of 36-year-old Baleegh Al-Doba’ai and his wife Aziza are also different. Every morning, they wake up at 6am and eat breakfast with their only son, before going to Abu Sultan, a fast food restaurant, for a day’s work.
Baleegh works as the executive chef, while Aziza oversees the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. It is this partnership that Baleegh sees as the key to Abu Sultan’s success, with around 30 customers a day and plenty of food for the city’s students.
“Working with a close friend who shares what you want solves problems,” Baleegh told Al Jazeera. “He has an unfailing eye for administrative detail and workflow, which allows us to execute all aspects of the business quickly.”
Previously, Baleegh worked in Saudi Arabia. But wanting to be with his family in Yemen, he always knew that his stay there was temporary. After returning home, he came up with the idea of starting a fast food business, an old concept in Yemen.
“I got the idea while I was in Saudi Arabia and I came back with some machines, but supporting the whole project and running it on my own was very difficult,” he recalled.
“It was my wife who stepped in, helping pay for the restaurant and overseeing the management.”
Baleegh’s doubts about growing the business almost sent him back to Saudi Arabia, but Aziza encouraged him to continue, taking care of the financial and administrative responsibilities to make it happen.
“Our main goal is to establish our restaurant and create a real identity for fast food here in Taiz,” says Baleegh.
A great helper
Although women may not be prominent in restaurants in Yemen, the country has a long tradition of matriarchal leadership. Arwa al-Sulayhi, a Yemenite of the Sulayhid dynasty, became the world’s first Muslim queen 960 years ago.
“In the beginning, people may have seen the woman working in the restaurant carefully,” Aziza told Al Jazeera. “However, through persistence and respect, I proved that a woman is capable of ruling and succeeding in any field she wants, and my husband was the most supportive of me.”
At the restaurant, Aziza welcomes customers, trying to make them feel comfortable enough to come back. For a business that’s only two months old, building a loyal, repeat clientele is essential, and his generous hospitality is already paying off.
“Work pressure is everywhere, and we try to solve every problem as soon as possible,” he says.
This husband-wife partnership, along with Aziza’s efforts to make customers feel welcome, is seeing customers return.
“The secret lies in trusting my husband from day one.” We do not work under ‘bosses and subordinates’, but as future partners,” he said.
“When clients saw that my voice was carrying weight at work, and that I did everything I was supposed to do, their attitude changed from ‘helpful woman’ to ‘supervisor.’ That, in itself, is my greatest achievement.”
In a conservative community like Taiz, where running a restaurant is a male domain, the couple wants to overcome these challenges.
“What people are talking about, I was determined from the moment I started; I thought that my success would be my strong answer,” said Aziza. “I realized that although people may object at first, they have no choice but to respect honest and professional work.”
When the restaurant closes its doors, Aziza returns to her work as a mother and homemaker, which also requires cooperation with her husband.
He said: “At home, I make sure that our family life is separate from the pressures of work.” This requires us to understand each other very well with my husband, who appreciates me a lot, especially since we spend the whole day working together.
“My advice to others who are planning to start their own business is this: don’t hesitate to start, but don’t jump before you have a clear plan and really trust your partner.”
Women are competing with men
Abu Sultan highlights the rise of women-led small businesses in Yemen that are quietly transforming the local economy.
Muthana Adimi, 36, is one of many customers who have chosen to shop at women-led cooking businesses, believing they bring home-made goodness to restaurants.
“I believe that homemade food is clean and carefully prepared, so I usually buy from places run by women, whether they serve fast food or Yemeni dishes,” Adimi told Al Jazeera.
“The food is clean, tasty, and affordable. We all have a responsibility to support these women in their businesses; they deserve a better life and a better future for themselves and their families.”
The rise of female entrepreneurs in Yemen has forced male business owners to adapt. Tareq Al-Mallah, 40, who runs a cleaning and toy business in Taiz, is seeing an increase in Yemeni businesswomen entering the retail sector.
“Every day, we see women inventing new ways. I personally buy cleaning products from a shop run by women. I lose many of my female customers because they prefer to buy from women,” she said.
“(But) the failure of a few businesses does not mean that they failed because they are women. They just faced serious problems.
Changing roles
Natheer Abdulhadi, a sociologist with extensive experience in entrepreneurship training for women, says the rise of women-led businesses in Yemen comes at a time of unemployment for men and severe financial problems for families. Women helping support their families are making a big difference in Yemen, he said.
“Indeed, the growth of women’s businesses is not only based on the challenges that have occurred, but also reflects women’s awareness of their ability to create and contribute to economic growth,” said Abdulhadi.
The money they earn has helped to make life better and to ease their children’s hardships, especially in families that have lost a breadwinner or lost their money due to the war.
Arwa Al-Omari, head of the Taiz district women’s business association, says women no longer receive support, but are partners in taking care of their families.
“Taiz is seeing a significant increase in women-led businesses, encouraged by humanitarian organizations that encourage women to start or expand their own businesses,” Al-Omari told Al Jazeera.
“There are no definitive statistics on women-led businesses because new businesses are being started every day, but the rate is increasing. Today, you can walk through the mall and see women managing their own shops and dealing directly with customers.”
