How are women treated unfairly in Jordan?
While Jordan's laws are not overtly discriminatory, women are treated unequally in a number of statutes. Gender-discriminatory language can be found in provisions that regulate economic rights such as retirement and social security, as well as laws that govern the family.
What is Shari'a law in Jordan?
The testimonies of men and women in Jordan's civil courts are afforded equal weight, as they are in non-Muslim (Christian) tribunals. In Shari'a courts, however, the testimony of two Muslim women is equal to that of one man.
What does the Constitution of Jordan say about gender equality?
Officially, the constitution now says that "Jordanian men and women shall be equal before the law. There shall be no discrimination between them as regards to their rights and duties on grounds of race, language or religion". The previous article simple read "Jordanians" without any further specification.
Do women have property rights in Jordan?
While studies of women and their property rights evidence that Islamic courts have "upheld women's rights to property," women in Jordan legally own and inherit less than their male relatives do.
Does Jordan have equal rights?
Human rights in Jordan are similar to or better than those elsewhere in the Middle East. Human Rights Watch reported in January 2018 that although recently there have been far-reaching reforms of the laws and regulations in the country, abuses against basic rights such as freedom of expression persisted.
Can women own land in Jordan?
Since few women in Jordan own unregistered land and houses, the actual percentage of immovable properties owned by women is likely more to be about 10 percent of housing units in Jordan, and not the 20 percent always officially stated.
Can women drive cars in Jordan?
About half a million women in Jordan have driving licences, about 20 per cent of the country's total drivers, according to the national traffic department. Ms Akoubeh said some people give her encouragement but “there is always someone to remind me that 'this is men's work and you should be in the home'”.
What laws help women's rights?
The 7 Must-Know Laws Protecting Women's Rights at WorkFair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ... Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. ... The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. ... Equal Pay Act of 1963. ... The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) ... The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ... The Whistleblower Protection Act.
How many wives can a man have in Jordan?
four wivesMany countries in the Middle East permit polygamy under Islamic laws, which state that a man can marry as many as four wives as long as he is financially able to treat them all equally.
Is Jordan patriarchal?
Tribal and Islamic values, which are based inherently on patriarchal values, persist in Jordan and continue to limit women's political participation and empowerment. Improvements in women's practical rights have not changed gender roles, and thus have not eliminated the social barriers.
Is Jordan a good place for women?
Jordan is one of the safest places for women to travel around in the Arab world, and is an excellent introduction for first-time visitors to the Middle East.
Do you have to wear a hijab in Jordan?
Jordan. There are no laws requiring the wearing of headscarves nor any banning such from any public institution. The use of the headscarf increased during the 1980s. However, the use of the headscarf is generally prevalent among the lower and lower middle classes.
Is dating allowed in Jordan?
First, if you're a couple but not married – even if you're both not citizens of Jordan – having sexual relations is against the law.
What is freedom for a woman?
For women of India, it transcends time and space. Today, freedom to her is to be able to walk alone without any fears, earn equal wages, choose her sexual preference, not feel guilty, live her life on her own terms and more importantly, think free.
What is the legal framework for women in Jordan?
Operative legal framework . 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.
When did women get the right to vote in Jordan?
Jordanian women, however, did not receive the right to vote until 1974. This was fairly late for the region, as Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Turkey and Iran had all granted women suffrage by 1967.
How much of Jordan's land is owned by women?
As a result, less than four percent of all property in Jordan is owned by women.
Is Jordanian education literate?
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. Constitutional provisions affirm all Jordanian citizens’ basic rights to education.
Where do women come from in Jordan?
Estimates put one million migrant workers in employment in Jordan (though only about a third are documented) and the vast majority are women who come from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Uganda. These women often send remittances back to their home countries as a source of family income.
Is honor killing on the rise in Jordan?
Furthermore, as honor killings consistently occur and are currently on the rise, women are less motivated to leave the safety of their homes. Laws in Jordan regarding honor killings continue to make it possible for courts to deal with perpetrators leniently.
Who is the current king of Jordan?
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.
Why was Sawsan jailed?
Sawsan (not her real name) was jailed for more than a year simply for fleeing her abusive father , according to Amnesty. “I was stopped on the street in Amman and the police asked me for my ID.
Can a woman be separated from her child in Jordan?
Women can also be forcibly separated from their children if their babies are seen as “illegal”, when they are the result of an unsanctioned relationship . In Jordan, women require permission from a male guardian to get married if they are under 30 and sex outside marriage is punishable by up to three years in prison.
Is Dar Amneh safe for women?
Amnesty said the country has in recent years carried out a number of reforms, including opening the Dar Amneh safety house for women at risk in July 2018, but the authorities continue to misuse the 1954 crime prevention law. Imprisoning women for defying male authority amounts to “a violation of their human rights”, said the report.
Does Jordan have an abusive system?
Amnesty International has called on Jordan to end what it has described as an abusive system that jails women if they disobey their male “guardians” or have relationships deemed inappropriate. Despite recent efforts to give women better protections, Amnesty said in a new report published on Wednesday that Jordan still allows ...
Not enough
"A lot has changed since women received the right to vote in 1974, and since the first time that women entered parliament in 1993," Bani Mustafa recalls.
Pandemic exacerbates structural hardships
As Mideast researcher Zoe H. Robbin highlighted in her most recent piece for the US-based Middle East Institute, Jordan has the lowest rate of women's economic participation "of any country not at war."
Women for women
"I've seen a significant uptick of women in business in the past ten years," Deema Anani, head of the Digital Arabia Network in Amman and Founding member of the Young Entrepreneurs Association, told DW.
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What is Jordanian law?
Jordanian law is a blend of Napoleonic code (inherited from the Ottoman and Egyptian legal systems), Islamic Shari'a, and influences of tribal traditions. The Jordanian Personal Status Law (JPSL) (No. 61 of 1976) is derived from Shari'a, and includes various opinions from a number of jurisprudential schools; in the absence of a provision in the law, the Jordanian courts refer back to the most authoritative opinion in the Hanafi school. The JPSL is applied in all personal status matters related to the Muslim family such as inheritance, child custody, marriage, and divorce.
How many judges were women in Jordan in 2003?
In 2003, women constituted less than 3 percent of Jordan's 608 judges, and no women served as public prosecutors. Women are also underrepresented in senior civil service positions. Only about 4 percent of employees in the highest levels of the civil service system are women.
How many people live in Jordan?
Jordan has a population of an estimated 5.5 million, a substantial number of whom are Palestinian. A number of Jordanians live in rural areas, although rural-urban migration is on the rise. Islam is the state religion; more than 95 percent of Jordanians are Sunni Muslims.
What is the role of King Abdullah II in Jordan?
Under King Abdullah II, Jordan has embarked on a course of economic reform, acceding to the World Trade Organization and working closely with the International Monetary Fund, as well as signing free trade agreements with the United States and the European Union.
What is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan?
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a constitutional monarchy that gained independence from Britain in 1946. King Hussein ruled the country from 1952 until his death in 1999, at which time his son, Abdullah II, ascended the throne. King Abdullah II, along with his council of ministers, holds broad executive powers and may dissolve the bicameral National Assembly at his discretion, as he did in 2001; he reinstated it in 2003. The central government appoints the upper house of the National Assembly, the regional governors of the 12 governorates, and half of the municipal council members. The National Assembly's lower house and the other half of the municipal council members are elected through universal adult suffrage. The king serves as head of the judiciary.
What is the JPSL in Jordan?
The JPSL is applied in all personal status matters related to the Muslim family such as inheritance, child custody, marriage, and divorce. Article 6 (1) of Jordan's constitution states: "Jordanians shall be equal before the law.
Why should women's rights be reframed?
In order to increase progress, the government and women's rights activists should reframe women's rights issues out of the current cultural context and adopt a rights-based argument – a move that would shift the terms of the debate, advance women's rights, and promote Jordan's overall development.
What is the family protection law in Jordan?
In 2008, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan passed its Family Protection Law, which dedicated government resources to the cause of preventing domestic violence and, importantly, protecting women. Yet, this progress on women’s rights cannot be disentangled from broader changes in civil liberties and the national military and intelligence infrastructure that took place simultaneously. This article explores how militarism influences the gender policy-making process and pays special attention to how Jordan was able to pass the Family Protection Act while stripping citizens of other civil liberties like freedom of speech and association. The author argues that Jordan passed national legislation on domestic violence, in part, to improve its international reputation. It entrenched a masculine and militarized approach to security that emphasizes the need for women’s protection rather than the transformation of gender relations.
Which country passed the Family Protection Law?
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan passed the Family Protection Law in 2008 to address violence against women but did so while also stripping other civil liberties like freedom of expression and assembly.
What does Peterson say about women?
A New York Times reporter recorded Peterson's answer. It was that women should "manifest courageous faith " in the men in their lives, and not just their spouses. Others have pointed out that women being told to put your faith in men seems to imply "and not trust yourself so much.".
Who is Jordan Peterson?
Jordan Peterson, public intellectual and best-selling author of a Quora-answer-turned-into-book-of-life-advice titled 12 Rules for Life , has been defensive about being regarded as dismissive of women. And yet, in a recent presentation, he was asked what conservative women could do to end the "war on men.". A New York Times reporter recorded ...
Religion and faith
It may come as no surprise that around 92% of Jordanians are Muslim (93% of them being Sunni Muslim).
Drugs and controlled substances
Contrary to popular belief, both visitors and locals are allowed to drink alcohol in some Middle Eastern countries and Jordan is one of them.
Driving
It’s quite possible to get around the country by bus, ride share, private taxi, and shared taxi, but if you do plan on renting a car, keep in mind that, in Jordan, the driver is always considered guilty in an accident. A driver who is deemed guilty may have to cough up heavy compensation payments to other drivers and to pedestrians involved.
Death Sentence
Like many countries, including Singapore and the United States, Jordan also imposes the death penalty in the case of extremely serious offenses.
Sensitive Photos
Taking pictures of government and military buildings in Jordan is forbidden, as it is in many places around the world. Are you sensing a theme here? The Middle East often gets a bad rap when it comes to security and customs but when you think about it, many of their rules also exist all over the world, including in English-speaking countries.
Luggage searches
When you’re at the airport leaving Jordan, your luggage may undergo more security checks than you’re accustomed to. Not only are security officers typically looking for illegal drugs, but they are also looking to stop thoughtless visitors attempting to escape the country with precious antiquities.
Customs and manners
For the most part, people are understanding and they won’t expect you to understand all the finer points of Jordanian customs and manners, though it will always be much appreciated if you attempt to learn.
Overview
Family rights
Jordanian husbands determine their wives’ abilities to employ their constitutionally guaranteed rights to work and other public activities. Jordanian legislation and culture suggests that men have a certain control over their wives to mediate their interaction with the public. Men expect their wives to be obedient because they work in order to support the family financially. Some amendments postpone this “ownership” for young girls. For example, the Jordanian Parliament i…
Political representation
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. Jordanian women, however, did not receive the right to vote until 1974. This was fairly lat…
Social representation
With a female literacy rate of 97.4%, Jordan has the highest female literacy rate in the Middle East. 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.
Constitutional provisions affirm all Jordanian citizens’ basic rights to education. …
See also
• Women in Islam
• Women in Arab societies
• Women's rights
• LGBTQ rights in Jordan
• Islamophobia
Equity Or Equality?
- Jordan’s constitution delegates all issues involving the Personal Status Law of Muslims to specific courts, which handle family-related cases based on interpretations of Islamic, or Sharia, law. The Sharia courts do not treat women as equals before the law, writes Jordanian activist Rana Husseini in her recent book, Years of Struggle — The Women’s ...
‘Ngo-Isation’
- The women’s movement in Jordan is often “demonised” as part of a Western agenda, which has instigated divisions and stalled progress, said Nims. “We have a problem with NGO-isation, which is something that happens all over the world,” she told Al Jazeera. Since the kingdom’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Wom…
‘A Special Case’
- There are fears among the amendment’s conservative critics that it will expand citizenship eligibility and shift the kingdom’s demographic balance towards Palestinians. This will require Jordan to become the “alternative homeland”, barring thousands of refugees from returning to their ancestral homes in occupied Palestine. The kingdom’s nationality law stipulates that Jorda…
‘Just to Divert Attention’
- The women’s rights movement in Jordan is frequently found at the pinnacle of contentious debate. Jordanians now find themselves living amid unprecedented unemployment, without a healthy political outlet for their frustration – leaving women too often as the scapegoat. “When you look around as a man and you do not feel that your masculinity is being expressed through y…