The political, social and economic status of women in Jordan is based on legal, traditional, cultural and religious values. Women's rights in Jordan are also dependent on factors such as class, place of origin, religion, and family ties. In addition, the status of women varies by region, with the Bedouins, Druze, and Chechen peoples each having distinct cultural practices and habits. In recent years, there have been significant changes in women's participation in politics, as well as increased involvement in the arts and sports. In the Global Gender Gap index, Jordan was ranked 131 out of 156 countries in 2021. This includes economic participation and opportunities, labour force participation, and wage inequality for similar work.
The women's rights movement in Jordan has a long and rich history, with organizations such as the Jordanian Women's Union advocating for women's education, political rights, and legal reforms. In recent years, Jordan has introduced legal reforms aimed at improving women's rights, although significant barriers to gender equality remain in the workforce.
Violence against women is still a major problem in Jordan, with domestic violence, sexual harassment, and honor killings prevalent in some communities. Efforts to address this issue have been hampered by a lack of legal protections and a culture of impunity for perpetrators.
Women and politics in Jordan Political rights of women in Jordan, as well as high roles and positions that women can have in the state have special attention in the Jordanian law, this is made clear in legal foundations. Right now Jordanian women have the right to vote, as well as the right to run for high positions. Women have the right to participate in political parties since 1992 with the Political Parties Law. However, women are still very underrepresented as parties don't put effort in recruiting women.
Political representation Operative legal framework The women's movement organized in the 1950s, when Emily Bisharat founded the Arab Women's Federation and launched a campaign for women's suffrage.Pratt, N. (2020). Embodying Geopolitics: Generations of Women’s Activism in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. USA: University of California Press. p. 43-44
The current operating framework for women's rights in Jordan includes the Jordanian Constitution, a civil status code, the Personal Status Law and international law regarding human rights. Traditional and cultural ideals of femininity also effect how women are viewed and treated in Jordan.The Economic Advancement of Women in Jordan: A Country Gender Assessment. World Bank, May 2005. PDF file. Page 40 Jordanian women, however, did not receive the right to vote until 1974. This was fairly late for the region, where many other countries had all granted women suffrage by 1967.
The Jordanian constitution
The Jordanian Constitution was written in 1952 and states that all "Jordanians shall be equal before the law. This included that men and women were equal for law and that women would not be subordinate to men anymore, and that there would be no discrimination in rights or duties. The part "equal for law" was stated in article 6. There shall be no discrimination between them as regards their rights and duties on grounds of race, language or religion." Many constitutional provisions affirm basic rights and political representation for all. As a further example, Article 22 states that each Jordanian has equal opportunity to be appointed to and serve in public office, that such appointments "shall be made on the basis of merit and qualifications."The Economic Advancement of Women in Jordan: A Country Gender Assessment. World Bank, May 2005. PDF file. Page 41 An amendment in January 2003 implemented the quota system in Jordanian parliament, and while a religious precedent existed for parliamentary seats in the constitution, allocating seats for women was new and showed that the government recognized and wanted to break down barriers women face in running for office. The Provisional Penal Code reduces sentencing for men who commit violent acts against women in the "honor" context (see below: "Gender-Based Violence"). In the last decade, however, the code has been amended. While the original law allowed men to implement the law themselves, the new amendment left punishment and sentencing to the judicial system of the state. There are no provisions under the Labor or Penal Codes to protect women against sexual harassment. Jordan is a member of many international organizations that guarantee basic human rights to women.The Economic Advancement of Women in Jordan: A Country Gender Assessment. World Bank, May 2005. PDF file. Page 47
National charter of 1990 The Jordanian national charter was adopted in 1991. The charter paid attention to the political system in Jordan, including free and fair elections. This was beneficial for the equality for women in Jordan in the governmental system. The Charter also focusses on the protection of human rights and human freedom and is therefore an improvement for everyone, but specifically for women as well. It can be seen as a base for human rights and therefore for an improvement for women's rights.
Convention of the elimination of all forms of discrimination The Convention of the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (also called CEDAW) was a convention of the UN general assembly. It was adopted in 1979 This convention was signed by many countries, including Jordan in 1980, and Jordan ratified the Convention in 1992 This Convention provided full gender equality for men and women. This included equal opportunities in political and public life and for work in general. This convention was a very big improvement on women's rights. Countries that have signed this convention are legally bound to put this convention into practice in their country. The convention also included an improvement in the field of equality of marriage, children responsibilities, and freedom of choice.
Representation in elected office
While female participation in Jordanian parliament has increased over the past decade, it still remains low. Notwithstanding the 1974 law giving women the right to campaign and serve in office, few Jordanian women today are motivated to or feel comfortable running for political office, while even fewer are elected and ultimately serve. In 2016 and 2020, the Sisterhood is Global Initiative in Jordan launched a program called "Eye on Women" to monitor activity of and reception to women's political campaigns. The current King of Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah II, passed legislation requiring a quota for the number of women in parliament. Since the quota was established, 15 of the 130 seats in the Lower House of Parliament have consistently and successfully been reserved for women. However, women won 19 seats in the 2013 elections.The Economic Advancement of Women in Jordan: A Country Gender Assessment. World Bank, May 2005. PDF file. Page 50
Dr. Alia Mohammed Odeh Abu Tayeh was a prominent member of the Jordan Senate, actively contributing to the country's legislative processes. As a senator, she represents her constituents' interests and participates in policy development and decision-making that shapes Jordan's future. Her position as a senator was a result of her commitment to public service and dedication to addressing societal challenges. Dr. Abu Tayeh's election as a senator is significant within the context of women's representation in Jordan's political sphere.
Dr. Abu Tayeh's achievement as a female senator demonstrates the progress being made towards enhancing women's participation in Jordan's political decision-making processes. Her election highlights the importance of promoting gender equality and empowering women in positions of leadership. In the 2020 elections, 15 seats were reserved for women and only exactly that number were elected (again out of 130 seats total). Female candidates had constituted 20.5% of the 1,674 individuals running for parliamentary office in 2020; they ultimately won 11.5% of the seats.
Queen Rania of Jordan has used her position and power to support women's rights. Her family is of Palestinian descent (her father was from Ṭūlkarm, her mother from Nablus) and was born and raised in Kuwait. Rania is highly educated; she has a business administration degree from the American University in Cairo (1991) and before marrying King Abdullah II in January 1993, she worked as a banker. As Queen, Rania has championed women's rights, access to education, environmental concerns, and the development of strong Jordanian communities. In March 2008, she launched a video blog as part of her efforts to deconstruct stereotypes about Arabs and promote dialogue with the West.
Jordanian National Commission for Women The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) mission is to "support mainstreaming of a gender-equality perspective in all policy areas and to narrow the gap between formal acknowledgement of women's rights as detailed by legislation and actual societal attitudes towards women through improving the status of women and enhancing their role in national development." They work to equalize women's social, political, and economic status in Jordan by proposing legislation and studying the existing policies regarding women's rights. The JNCW also works closely with various public institutions and NGO's in hopes of branching out and developing their organization. In 1996, the Jordanian cabinet made the JNCW the official government "reference point" on all issues pertaining to women; it now reports directly to the prime minister. The JNCW has become a quasi-governmental institution accountable in large part for drafting national policies regarding women's rights and economic advancement.The Economic Advancement of Women in Jordan: A Country Gender Assessment. World Bank, May 2005. PDF file. Page 48 Her royal highness Princess Basma sits as current president and it was led by the late Secretary General Asma Khader, a prominent feminist lawyer and previous Minister of Culture who was also CEO of Jordan's Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI). She is succeeded by current Sectretary General Maha Ali.
Gender equality in Jordan Gender equality has big benefits, and half of the Jordanians understand that. However, more effort to achieve this is still needed, since only 18 percent actively participates in achieving this. Women face several challenges because their gender in Jordan, including family roles, cultural norms, underrepresentation, legal challenges, and male guardianship. However, 29 percent think that men and women are already treated fully equal in Jordan.
Social representation Education
Jordan maintains the highest female literacy rate in the Middle East at 98.1%. The majority of Jordanian women are both literate and highly educated; differences in career expectations based on gender tend to stem from cultural practices, not the fact that women are not as meritorious as men. Female education in Jordan also ranks highest in the MENA region.
Constitutional provisions affirm all Jordanian citizens' basic rights to education. Article 20 makes elementary education required for all Jordanians and free of charge in public, government schools. This provision is elaborated on and reinforced in the Education Act. The Jordanian government spends 3.2% of their GDP on education (2021), and since 1980, the literacy rate in Jordan for women increased from 69.2% to 91% (2002), to 97.4% (2012) and finally to 98.1% (2021).