How are women treated in Jordan in 2007?

Answer 1

As anywhere else in the world, Jordan is a male-dominated society. That being said, there is no easy answer to this question. But here are some points: 1-Constitution. In general, law in Jordan does not discriminate on a gender basis. Women mostly have the same rights as men. With some exceptions, most notably: - A Jordanian woman cannot pass on her nationality to her children. A child thus, retains the nationality of his/her father, even if born in Jordan to a Jordanian mother. This issue has been contested several times in parliament to no avail. - Divorce Law: According to Islamic law, which is partially implemented in Jordan, the man has the right to divorce his spouse in accordance with the agreements reached between the partners in the matrimonial contract. The contract however, according to Islamic law, can state that the woman retains the write of divorce too. Nevertheless if that is not explicitly stated in the contract (as is mostly the case) the woman can only divorce her spouse by decision of court. For Christian Jordanians the subject of divorce is more complicated because of the various churches in Jordan and their varying decrees in that matter. I do not have the suffient back-ground to comment on this. 2-Work & Education In academia, in the year 2005 for example, the ratio of female to male students at state-run Jordanian universities was about 55/45, while at private universities the ratio was about 40/60. Please note that I cannot vouch for these numbers. In the work place women receive equal pay buy law. Also, law guarantees women maternal paid leave of up to 4 months anually, which in the private sector has led some employers to favor male employees. No field of work is closed to women. However, Demographics vary largely from field to field. Thus Jordan has only one female airline pilot (out of about 50 pilots total). In the medical professions the distribution is more or less balanced between sexes, though most surgeons are males except in gynecology where the balance shifts towards females. Nurses and pharmacists are mostly women (which it is worth noting are high-paying professions in Jordan), while hard labor is almost exclusively dominated by men. In the educational sector the balance is even. In the finance sector the balance shifts a little towards males demographically. Notably administrative positions in the finance sector are much more evenly balanced than other sectors, where the ratio of administrative positions held by women to men is about 30/70. 3-Social status This will probably be open to endless debate. And the answer you will get will depend on the person you ask. The importance of the influence of the inner and extended family in Jordan (and all of Arab society) cannot be overstated. And while I was fortunate to come from a caring family and blessed with conscientious parents who did not discriminate against me or my sisters I have friends who have been less fortunate. In general our society disapproves strongly of male members who abuse their female relatives. However, the only mechanism that protects a womans rights is the extended family. And therefore, a woman's social status is decided mainly by the kind of family she is born into. And while most women are free to break free of their family ties if they wish to do so, the majority does not, as both male and female members of the society are strongly dependent on the support of the extended family or clan. I hope that whoever asked this question did not expect a simple answer and that the above was helpful. Regards