In Yemen, Marriage Rules Are Tightening Control Over Women

This story was co-published with Egab. 

Amani, 23, dreamed of a wedding filled with singing and dancing, just like the women in her family had celebrated for generations. A teacher from a mountain village in Al Mahwit, she had finished high school with distinction and was engaged to a fellow teacher who shared her vision of a joyful celebration.

But one week before her August wedding, village elders arrived bearing a new tribal pact: no singing, no loudspeakers, no celebrations.

"I felt they didn't just ban the sounds. They robbed our hearts of joy," Amani said. Her family complied out of fear of hefty fines. 

On her wedding day, silence replaced the traditional songs, drums, and ululations. "It felt less like a wedding than a funeral," she told More to Her Story.

Since 2019, more than 70 tribal agreements across 70 tribes have been made in Houthi-controlled territories, with agreements dramatically accelerating this year, according to Amal Al-Dab'i, a legal advisor specializing in gender-based violence. While these agreements ostensibly reduce dowries amid Yemen's economic collapse, advocates warn its restrictions extend into systematic control of women's movements, communication, and social participation. 

The Wasab Al-Ali pact in Dhamar, for example, sets a bride’s dowry at one million Yemeni rials (about $1,900) while also imposing restrictions that ban women from using smartphones, traveling without a male guardian, or accessing the internet. In the past, the dowry was considered a private matter negotiated freely between the families of the bride and groom, with no fixed amount. By contrast, these new agreements formalize and cap the dowry at reportedly much lower levels than were customary before.

Nadia Al-Sakkaf, former editor-in-chief of the Yemen Times and Yemen’s first female Minister of Information, explained that the tribal agreements aren’t about helping families afford marriages. “It’s social engineering,” she said. “These are organized policies pushed by de facto authorities through tribal fronts, making them appear as societal consensus rather than authoritarian decree.” Houthi military supervisors sign alongside tribal sheikhs on many of the pacts, which are then circulated to security departments for enforcement.

The Last Spaces for Women’s Expression

In Amran, in northwestern Yemen, 22-year-old Wajdan Mohammed Qahtan lives in a community governed by a Houthi pact that bans songs, keyboard instruments, DJs, and loudspeakers at weddings — whether in halls or private homes. “All these conditions kill joy,” Wajdan said, calling the document “racist and selective.”

She pointed to one example of the pact’s bias: speakers are permitted only if performers sing Houthi zawamil (battle chants). “Violators pay 300,000 rials ($600), performers are expelled, or musical instruments confiscated,” she explained. Wajdan herself paid the fine last month after hiring an artist.

Nadia Al-Sakkaf noted that women’s weddings were among the last spaces where women could freely express joy and creativity through singing and dancing. “Systematically preventing these practices eliminates women’s last expression spaces, denies female singers their main income source, and imposes restrictions on wedding end times and acceptable music forms,” she said.

Sheikh Yahya Jameel, deputy secretary of Sanaa capital secretariat and sheikh of the Bani Al-Harith tribe, signed a pact in August and defended its agreements: "These pacts express Yemeni customs and traditions. They facilitate marriage and prevent dowry inflation. Preventing singing and nighttime weddings is positive because Yemeni society is conservative and committed to its religion."

But Sheikh Abdullah Al-Kumim from Dhamar, summoned to sign a pact in August, expressed reservations.

“They called us to sign a document reducing dowries, which seemed positive. But reading it, I realized our signatures actually restricted women’s personal rights. In my view, it goes further — it’s an accusation and suspicion against our women.”

Al-Kumim argues the solution requires educating tribes about respecting women's rights by not mixing  financial initiatives with gender-based restrictions.

“Tribal society is aware enough to realize women aren't merely subordinate elements but essential partners building families and societies. They're doctors, teachers, educators raising generations. Empowering women through education, providing opportunities to access knowledge — including [the] internet and smartphones doesn't contradict values or traditions.”

A Deepening Gender Divide

According to UN OCHA, women and children constitute 80 percent of Yemen's 4.8 million internally displaced persons. In 2025, an estimated 6.2 million women and girls face increased risk of gender-based violence, while over 90 percent of rural areas lack necessary services such as clean water, electricity, internet and infrastructure. Women's unemployment reached 29.5 percent in 2024, among the region's highest rates, compared to 5.1 percent globally.

Against this backdrop of deepening gender inequality and economic strain, advocates warn that Houthi-imposed social pacts are further eroding women’s rights and autonomy.

Sabah Rajeh, president of the Yemeni Women’s Union in Taiz, said the Houthis practice flagrant discrimination, particularly through these pacts. "Restrictions imposed on women in marriage, travel, education, and work limit their decision-making capacity, affect psychological and social health, and undermine societal and political participation."

Tawfeeq Al-Humaidi, president of SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, argued these pacts violate Yemen's constitution and international obligations, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Convention on Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

“The group is restructuring society ideologically, using tribal pacts as legal cover legitimizing political and social control. These pacts limit partner choice freedom, transforming marriage into [a] guardianship tool."

He warned continuing these pacts after war’s end will entrench permanent social guardianship systems. Educational opportunities suffer as restrictions limit girls’ university participation and increase dropout rates. Economic opportunities decline as working women face restrictions preventing basic service delivery. Psychological health deteriorates as restrictions increase pressure, creating feelings of helplessness and submission.

Dr. Ayat Allah Al-Nu’mani, a writer, columnist, and specialist in social issues, said that authentic social rituals, such as weddings, are meant to strengthen family bonds and promote community participation.

“What happens today [amid these pact agreements] doesn’t reflect genuine religious values or correct social heritage as much as unjustified restrictions on women’s freedom and dignity,” she said.

Al-Nu’mani called for activating national legislation that guarantees women’s rights, strengthening their economic independence, supporting local advocates, and building partnerships with international organizations that provide political, social, and economic support.

Five women interviewed by More to Her Story asserted these decrees limit their participation in public life, “stealing our voices and agency,” two women said, adding that continuing these policies will entrench sustained discrimination and gender-based violence, threatening Yemeni society's structure long-term — even after the war ends.