Gaza Herald – The ongoing genocide in Gaza has led to an unprecedented rise in the number of female-headed households, with more than 22,000 women now widowed, according to the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.
In a new analytical paper titled “Female Breadwinners in Gaza: War Economy and the Reproduction of Social Poverty,” the center highlights how the loss of primary providers has triggered profound shifts in Palestinian family structures, leaving tens of thousands of children without one parent.
The study situates this transformation within a collapsing war economy marked by a fragmented labor market and record-high unemployment among women. At the same time, it notes the expansion of an informal economy reliant on aid and precarious activities, placing women in the role of providers without access to sustainable means of production.
According to the report, women in Gaza are now carrying multiple burdens, serving as both economic providers and primary caregivers, amid the absence of effective social protection systems. This has intensified economic hardship as well as psychological and social pressures.
The paper warns that these developments are not temporary but reflect a deep restructuring of social dynamics, with the potential to entrench intergenerational poverty unless a shift is made from emergency relief toward long-term economic empowerment strategies.
The center stressed that addressing this issue requires a comprehensive approach that integrates women into production and reconstruction processes, recognizing them as active agents in recovery rather than passive recipients of aid.
Field data further underscores the scale of the crisis. Women have been among the most affected, with reports indicating that more than 6,020 families have been almost entirely wiped out, often leaving a single survivor, frequently a woman or child. Additionally, around 2,700 families have been completely eradicated and removed from civil records.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs reported that the killing of husbands and the detention of thousands have forced tens of thousands of women to become sole providers for their families under extremely harsh humanitarian and economic conditions.
