Women of the Middle East have played an important role for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Women in the Middle East have worked in all types of fields, including medicine, education, agriculture, government, the private sector and even defense. They kept a roof over their family's heads while their husbands went to war, or even abroad to take jobs they couldn't find in their own countries. The roles of women in Yemen and Oman are no exception, but even though they always find ways to contribute to their countries, they are constantly stereotyped, discriminated against and ridiculed by men they know and do not know . This article will discuss the individual contributions of women living in Yemen and Oman, and discuss in other states the laws and cultural norms that affect women living in these countries today. Women's rights in Yemen have not changed since (or before) the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990. Since unification, new laws and a constitution (which are still based on Islamic Sharia law) which are in force unfortunately hold these statements to be true. According to Amal Basha, some of Yemen's laws that stereotype, discriminate and misgender women include: the value of a woman or girl's life is half that of a man or boy and if a man commits "honor killing", The maximum sentence he can face in prison is one year, compared to women who risk death if they dishonor their husbands, women cannot leave the country without permission from a male relative, if women are imprisoned and serving their punishment, they are not allowed to leave the prison unless a male relative approves, there is no lega... .. middle of paper ...... these acts may be, the women of these two great nations will always be treated as second class citizens. Progress has been made in changing this mindset, but change is slow in the Middle East, and when it comes to changing women's rights, it will always be the slowest change to happen. Works Cited Basha, Amal. Freedom House, Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa – Yemen, October 14, 2005. http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/47387b712f.html (accessed August 14, 2010)Deeb, Mary- Jane. Liberty House. Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa-Oman, 2010. http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=179 (accessed August 14, 2010) Embassy of Yemen-Human Rights and women's issues. Office of Congress, Democracy, Human Rights and Gender. Yemeni Embassy. http://www.yemenembassy.org/issues/democracy/index. php (accessed August 14, 2010)