WOMEN IN JORDAN

Hussam QarainSiraj al-harash

The women participation in the jordanian political life

The political participation for the Jordanian women is described as being poor, regarding her improvements in the economic and social role. In addition to the democratic changes that occurred in Jordan in the last two years, but on the other hand this improvements did not affect the political role of the Jordanian women and she has not been taken into consideration in the government, parliament, political groups, and other organizations.

The political struggle of the Jordanian woman asking for her rights had started since 1952 , the year that witnessed the launch of the Association of vigilance women, which demanded women's rights campaign and ran for office municipal and parliamentary, and has demanded that women in Jordan shall gain their political rights and through memoir that were submitted to both house of the ministry and the Senate, and those efforts have yielded in 1955 by a decision held by the Council of Ministers which gave the educated women the right of election. By that decision a widespread reaction occurred for the uneducated women rows asking their rights for elections. That struggle has been continued through memoir and women committee which based in 1974, and in the same year Jordanian woman got her right for election and nomination to Parliamentary and municipal councils.

As a result of the political situation in Jordan at the time marked by the absence of the parliament because of the occupation on the West Bank in 1976, the Jordanian women remained deprived of the exercise in voting and election . In 1978 King Hussein established the National Council consultant which contained three women , and in the second period of the National Council consultant in 1980 it contained four women.In the last ten years, the political participation of the Jordanian women was unstable, however in the decade of the prime minister Faisal Al Fayez there were four women as ministers, and in the government of Adnan Badran there were three three women as ministers , but unfortunately the number of women as ministers decreased to one in the decade of Maarouf Al Bakhit.

The General Federation of Jordanian Women (GFJW)

The GFJW was established in 1981 as a national non-governmental organization of women’s associations and societies to enhance the political, economic and social status of women in Jordan. 

The Federation′s membership includes 135 women’s organizations which are registered at the Ministry of Social Development. 

It has headquarters in each of the 12 governorates and offers educational opportunities and guidance in family welfare and health. It also advocates for legislative reform that favors women and initiates income-generating activities.

The GFJW has been a member of Jordanian National Commission for Women since its establishment, in addition to its membership in JNCW′s NGO Coordinating Committee.

The Federation offers training programmers' for women in various trades to help improve their social, health and economic standards

The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW)

The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) ,initiated and headed by HRH Princess Basma, is a semi-governmental organization which advocates and promotes for women’s diverse issues. It was established by a cabinet decision in 1992 and has since gained recognition as the authority on women’s affairs in Jordan’s public sector while it also represents the Kingdom at regional and international levels in matters pertaining to women.

JNCW′s mission is to support the 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 the actual societal attitudes towards women. 

Its purpose is to engender positive tangible transformation in the status of women in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination against them and to achieve their effective and equal participation with men in all political, economic, social and cultural arenas.

Jordanian National Forum for Women (JNFW)

In December of 1995, Princess Basma established the Jordanian National Forum for Women (JNFW). 

The Forum grew out of the mobilization efforts of the voluntary committees of women, set up in 1993 to sensitise local communities to the National Strategy. 

Chaired by Her Royal Highness, JNFW is the most wide-spread grassroots women′s movement in the Kingdom, advocating for women′s rights and increased women′s participation in decision-making processes.

Much of JNFW’s strength lies in the diverse economic, social and cultural backgrounds of the women that are involved in the JNFW; this accurate representation of women assists in molding the forum’s activities to suit women’s real needs and aspirations.

Motivating women to integrate in the process of building the future of Jordan is the Forum’s main mission, this cadre of women actively promotes women contributing to the economy and taking key decision making positions.

JNFW works to realize these goals through spreading awareness about the National Strategy for Women, while offering effective training and capacity building programmes that are designed to cater to the needs of women while taking into consideration the different areas in which they live.

The forum specifically targets women who are marginalized economically, politically and socially, whilst seeking to empower them to engage in public life.

The activities are managed through local offices and concentrate in rural and remote areas in all of the 12 governorates of Jordan, urban areas are also included.