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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Life under occupation Home page  back Print  Send To friend Gaza: Women take on new kinds of work With women increasingly involved in the informal economy, some say they have pushed out men in cases, now competing for the same low-level jobs wherever they can be found. Aminah Abu Maghasib, 37, is one of a growing number of women who has started digging small water reservoirs for Gaza homes. She is proud of her work, and says it not only helps families access water when they need it, but also provides some income for herself and others. It`s hard labor, she concedes, `but the harsh living conditions have forced so many women to work in this field.` Aminah has seven children. She sat down with Ma`an and explained why she, and not her husband, was working as a laborer. `The conditions of my life are harder than those of this job, of digging the reservoir; I am ready to do anything for my family, to provide for them,` she says. Aminah’s husband is unable to work, she says, because he is is ill and needs surgery. `My children need to go to school, but me? I have nothing to do except work, so I do.` Maan News Agency - Friday 23/07/2010 http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=301516 Where Aminah works, in fact, it is all women. Realizing that a large number of Gaza mothers seek to support their families, one company started a division of diggers with no men so the women would feel more comfortable. The stories of the women that work alongside Aminah are similar to hers; husbands injured, killed or otherwise unable to work. While no one Ma`an spoke with on the issue would say that the women should not provide for their families, some said women were taking work opportunities better suited to men. Links to the latest articles in this section Occupation forces injure mourners following funeral of slain infant Mohammad Tamimi Nabi Saleh village assaulted - toddler shot in the head died in hospital Palestinians in the snow: thrown from home into the snow, throw snowballs and get arrested