By Salah Takieddine
BEIRUT, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- With a warm smile on face, Inaam el-Youssef, a 55-year-old female butcher, was receiving clients at her butchery in the Bekaa town of Rachaya al-Wadi, 75 km away from Lebanon's capital city Beirut.
It is rare to see female butchers in the country as men usually dominate the work. But El-Youssef was confident that she did a good job as a butcher to serve the demands of her customers who come to buy sheep, goats and cows meats.
El-Youssef's clients come from the surrounding towns for her 40-year experience working as a butcher and for the quality of the meat she sells.
"Butchery might be a hard job for women. I inherited this job from my father since I worked in his butchery when I was young. At first, I started cleaning the butchery. Later I tried to prepare the meat for the customers who encouraged me to go further as they were impressed with my work," El-Youssef told Xinhua.
El-Youssef's good job as a female butcher earns her the reputation as "wonder woman" as her hard work sets a postive example for women, Samira Rached, one of el-Youssefs clients who spoke to Xinhua.
Another client Leila Eid told Xinhua that "local women go to Inaam's butchery because first of her sense of humor and of her quality meat."
El-Youssef said her story encourages many women in the region to go out of their houses and look for a job and she is happy in breaking the stereotype that women could only stay at home to take care of the family.
El-Youssef said work as a butcher is an integral part of her life. She also said she will expand her business by opening branches in other towns and villages in Lebanon in partnership with other women.
