Women in the West and in Jordan


The occidental people look to the eastern cultures as something very different, hard to understand. Especially what concerns to women.

However, if we look back to our past, we will realize that we weren't that different. 

In older countries of Europe, in the 19th century (200 years ago): 

  • Woman was dependent on her father, and after married on her husband. Her fate didn't belong to her; 

  • Education was considered unnecessary. The important was to learn good manners, to take care of the house, being religious, maybe having some music lessons. They weren't going to work anyway or if so, it was unskilled labor;

  • Women's role in the society was to be a good housewife, a good wife and good mother;

  • Marriages were arranged; 

  • Brides were expected to be virgins for the wedding night;

  • A good wife was a submissive housewife;

  • the husband had the right to force his wife into sex and to administrate "moderate correction" if she was disobedient;

  • If the couple was unhappy there was nothing they could do, as divorce was forbidden. Many men had prostitutes as option;

  • When divorce was permitted, the men could easily divorce his wife, but the wife to divorce him, needed to prove infidelity or cruelty;

  • Women used to  dress conservatively; 

  • The bathing suit was kinda of a dress;

  • They weren't allowed to vote;

  • Being a single woman at 30 years old was considered a disgrace;

  • Women were considered not efficient for working, not intelligent enough;


  • They were considered, by the church, the reason of the existence of sin and temptation, therefore, not trustworthy and evil;


  • "Independence" for woman of that time, was getting married;
After thousands of years of male dominance, women, finally, began to be respected as an equal human being.

 Western women fought very hard to conquer their personal and financial independence; to be included in the public life; to be valued as a worker; for equal rights; to participate in society decisions; to have a voice.

But there are still many battles to be fought: 
  • Equality in salaries;
  • Sexism;
  • Leadership roles, as in politics;
  • Sexual harassment;
  • Domestic violence;
  • The devalued domestic tasks;
  • Beauty as a key to open professional doors
  • and many others unseen barriers, like independent women seen as sluts.
More than 100 years after, and gender discrimination still exists. 
And we are concerned about the middle east when there is so much to do yet in our own countries..
Despite Jordan's vanguardism in the Middle East, and all the rights and freedoms the jordanian women have conquered, the mentality of the jordanian people, still believes that after marriage, women's priorities should be to take care of the home, the husband and the children. If she keeps working, her job should not  interfere in her family duties. Many women never worked in their life.

In Amman, we see many young women working, but many more are unemployed. 
According to the Jordan Times, the number of man working is 6 times higher than women's, in 2017.  Companies tendentiously hires more men, and also pays higher salaries to men.  
And the Labor Law excludes women from working in certain jobs that are exclusive to men, because are considered dangerous for the fragile woman.

 But it's not just professionally that women are discriminated by gender.  
There are other fields were women still need to fight for equal rights:

 - A woman cannot get married without the approval of the male guardian;

 - Women cannot have the legal guardianship of her children. Just custody in case of divorce;

 - As women are not the legal guardian of her children she cannot make decisions without the father approval like registering a child, education, travel. The father can make these decisions without the mother consent;

 - If a divorced woman remarries she loses the custody of the children. That doesn't happen with the ex-husband;

 - A jordanian man can pass the nationality to a non-jordanian wife but a jordanian woman cannot;

 - Polygamy is still legal is Jordan. A man can marry up to 4 wives at the same time but a woman cannot;

 - If a wife works without the husband approval, she will lose the right for the husband to provide for her (nafaqa); 

 - A man can bring children from a previous marriage to live with him and the wife without asking her permission, but she can't do the same;

 - Woman cannot live alone under any condition, even after divorce or widowed, but men can;

 - Women need the permission of their husband or father to issue her passport;

 - Women should be virgin for the wedding night but that don't matter for men;

 - Women are "bought" by the future husband, like they are  an object that can be bought for a certain price. After "purchased" is the man's property, but nobody can "buy" a man. Men have no price; 

 - Widow, daughter, mother or sister cannot receive the deceased's retirement if she is married. As is the husband responsibility to financially support her; 

 - Victims of domestic violence or in risk of "honor killing" are hostages of the country's protection system, as they are detained for life, for protection reasons, and cannot freely leave. Just a family member can release them.  

 - The testimony of two women equals to the testimony of one man in court.

To the speed this young country (96 years) is developing, hopefully, soon these issues will be overcome.

 “Jordanians shall be equal before the Law" - According to the article 6 of the chapter 2 of the Constitution of Jordan 


Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robe_en_surah_uniRobe_en_mousseline_de_laine.png
Help: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/Shared%20Documents/JOR/INT_CEDAW_NGO_JOR_51_9262_E.pdf