When coping strategies become a way of life: a gendered analysis of Syrian refugees in Lebanon

ABSTRACT Using a field survey in informal Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, this paper analyses refugee coping strategies and demonstrates how severe strategies become a way of life. It addresses how each refugee’s strategic choices are determined by an environment that is conceptualized via four dimensions of displacement: the civil host community, national and international policy, and humanitarian aid, in addition to individual characteristics such as gender. The findings show that the gender of the household head influences the severity of coping strategies, both directly and indirectly. The likelihood of using child labour and reducing the number of daily meals is higher for female-headed households. To categorise coping strategies among refugees, a new framework is proposed based on three categorisations: survival strategies, enhancing strategies and improving strategies.