Women's Movement in Jordan



Women's Movement in Jordan

Introduction

In the Arab world, the case of women's rights presents the case of gender prejudice. With the passage of time, practices and principles have evolved which were not present a few decades ago. The case of gender inequality has given rise to a number of movements, which inspired the women of the society to speak up for their rights. The Middle East countries typically have male-oriented culture, which constitutes the basis for the fundamental issues with the women's right. In this paper, the discussion presents a review of the literature available on the women movement's in Jordan. The review examines the impact of women's movement in Jordan. It highlights how the movement has tailored the status of Jordanian women by granting them representation in the society and the political arenas.

The role of women movement, in Jordan has been significant in changing the women's reality in Jordan. Women's movement can be seen as a source of providing justice to the women living in Jordon to a very large extent. For instance; it has been important in highlighting the need of equality for women. Initially, women were not provided with their basic rights. They were not allowed to go out for education, work, or any other activity that men of that time were doing. Women were not even provided with the basic right of voting. However, with the passage of time, the history of Jordan has witnessed very positive achievements regarding women's rights arising from various movements that intended to provide justice to the women.

Discussion

Political Conditions in Jordan: Background & Overview

Jordan has experienced massive achievements in the recent years regarding the women's rights and social status. The Jordanian women have been empowered for public participation. Today, Jordanian women can enter into workplaces; they can attain education and participate in politics. Recently, women had obtained a number of rights through constitutional orders and state laws; it includes dedicated quota for women's seat in the Parliament. Additionally, the law has empowered women by granting provisions for the divorce initiation process. Further, there are laws pertaining to the legal age of marriage, which has controlled the rising number of divorce and women abuse (Ala et al, 2012).

In the national development plan (for the year 1999-2003), Jordan incorporated a five year plan to include gender perspectives in various areas of state and government services. In the year 1954, Arab Women's Union was set up; the union played an influential role in raising awareness among the Arab women. Also, the union played a significant role in eradicating illiteracy among women. The Union prepared the Arab women to exercise their due rights. Additionally, the Union gathered women to sign a petition for the cause of obtaining the right to vote. The Union claimed that voting right should be given to illiterate women like illiterate men. In the year 1957, electoral activities were banned with the declaration of the Martial Law. In the 1967 defeat, a number of Palestinian flew to ...