Becoming the head of a household is not a choice, but a consequence of war…

In this Refugee Archive Roundtable webinar, host David Oletu speaks with Dr. Delu, researcher and humanitarian practitioner based in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, about his research on the realities of female-headed households and accountability in humanitarian governance. Drawing on field experience and oral histories with displaced women in Goma, Dr. Delu explores what happens when displacement abruptly transforms women into the primary providers, caregivers, and decision-makers for their families.

Unlike static categories of vulnerability, the women in this study entered these roles suddenly—through widowed status, desertion, family breakdown, separation, or caring for orphaned relatives amid conflict. At the same time they were coping with loss and trauma, they were also expected to navigate informal labor markets, secure food, protect their children from recruitment or abuse, and survive in spontaneous IDP camps without basic necessities.

The conversation examines how displacement reshapes family structures, gender dynamics, employment opportunities, and aid systems. It also highlights the less visible burdens of exile: social stigma, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation by aid officials, and systemic exclusion from leadership positions within the very humanitarian organizations sent to assist them.

Throughout the discussion, Dr. Delu reflects on power imbalances, downward accountability, and why aid organizations must treat displaced women not as passive beneficiaries, but as vital local partners capable of leading their own communities.

What You'll Hear in This Webinar

00:00 Introduction — Displaced women becoming heads of households in Goma

02:30 Dr. Delu’s background & research on power dynamics in humanitarian governance

07:00 What is happening in Goma: Displacement context and IDP camp realities

10:15 The 6 categories of female heads of households in eastern DRC

13:00 Survival, discrimination, gender-based violence, and sexual exploitation

14:50 Resilience, informal economic strategies, and barriers to leadership in aid

21:20 Downward accountability: Why aid must move from beneficiaries to local partners

30:50 The intergenerational impact on children in prolonged displacement

36:18 Security, government responsibility, and the path forward for sustainable peace

Why This Research Matters

Discussions about refugees and displaced persons often focus on numbers: how many people fled, how many camps were created, how many tons of food aid were delivered.

But statistics rarely capture what happens inside a household when conflict removes a spouse, a father, or a primary provider.

This research shows that female-headed households are not simply economic units. They are families navigating grief, structural violence, institutional failure, and survival all at once. The women highlighted in this discussion reveal how displacement reshapes identity, authority, labor, and caregiving.

Their experiences remind us that humanitarian work is not only about emergency relief—it is about restoring agency, listening to local voices, and holding international systems accountable to the people they serve.

About The Series

The Refugee Archive Roundtable is a webinar series bringing together scholars, university teams, and researchers whose work examines female-headed households and displaced single mothers worldwide to connect academic insights with real-world global impact.

What happens when becoming the head of a household is not a choice, but a consequence of war?

In this Refugee Archive Roundtable webinar, host Ruth Adeyeye speaks with Wasim Dia, Syrian researcher and refugee studies scholar, about his paper The Experience of Newly Formed Syrian Female-Headed Household Refugees in Egypt: Challenges and Opportunities. Drawing on interviews with Syrian refugee women living in Alexandria, Egypt, Wasim explores what happens when displacement abruptly transforms women into the primary providers, caregivers, and decision-makers for their families.

Unlike long-established female-headed households, the women in this study entered these roles suddenly—through conflict, death, separation, disappearance, and forced migration. At the same time they were coping with loss and displacement, they were also expected to navigate unfamiliar legal systems, find income, care for children, and rebuild their lives in a country they never intended to call home.

The conversation examines how displacement reshapes family structures, gender roles, employment opportunities, and social relationships. It also highlights the less visible consequences of exile: loneliness, the loss of professional identity, community stigma, and the emotional burden of carrying a family through uncertainty.

Throughout the discussion, Wasim reflects not only as a researcher, but as a Syrian refugee himself—bringing a personal understanding of the realities faced by the women whose stories form the foundation of his research.

What You'll Hear in This Webinar

00:00 Introduction — Syrian women becoming heads of households through war and displacement10:20 Sarah’s story: survival, illness, and rebuilding life in Egypt16:10 Informal work, loneliness, and the realities of refugee survival35:00 Patriarchy, motherhood, and what female-headed households reveal about displacement

Why This Research Matters

Discussions about refugees often focus on numbers: how many people crossed a border, how many families were displaced, how many remain in exile.

But statistics rarely capture what happens inside a household when conflict removes a spouse, a father, or a primary source of support.

This research shows that female-headed households are not simply economic units. They are families navigating grief, responsibility, social judgment, and institutional barriers all at once. The women interviewed in this study reveal how displacement reshapes identity, authority, caregiving, and survival itself.

Their experiences remind us that refugee policy is not only about movement across borders—it is also about the everyday realities of rebuilding life after loss.

About The Series

The Refugee Archive Roundtable is a webinar series bringing together scholars, university teams, and researchers whose work examines female-headed households and displaced single mothers worldwide to connect academic insights with real-world global impact.

In this episode of The Refugee Archive Roundtable, we host a critical discussion on the paper "Prolonging the Temporary: Female-Headed Syrian Refugee Households on Displacement, Return and Waiting post-Assad". Featured guests Dr. Jasmin Lilian Diab and Assma Awkal unpack the complex lived experiences and migration decisions of Syrian women navigating protracted displacement in Lebanon. Moving beyond oversimplified narratives of passive victimhood, their research utilizes feminist theory and intersectionality to show how these women act as strategic agents of resilience. The conversation explores how the absence of a male spouse, ongoing socioeconomic precarity, and the systemic threat of patriarchal violence shape deeply complex choices regarding voluntary return, irregular migration, and the painful state of "waiting" for resettlement. This webinar highlights the urgent need for gender-responsive global refugee policies that prioritize the protection of vulnerable, female-led householdsTimestamps00:00 Welcome to The Refugee Archive Roundtable03:15 Shifting Paradigms: From Passive Victims to Agents of Resilience08:40 The Reality of "Waiting" as an Active Migration Strategy14:10 Why the Fall of the Assad Regime Exacerbated Uncertainty for Women19:55 Designing Gender-Responsive Refugee Policies & Protecting Single MothersAbout The SeriesThe Refugee Archive Roundtable is a webinar series bringing together scholars, university teams, and researchers whose work examines female-headed households and displaced single mothers worldwide to connect academic insights with real-world global impact.