Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CONFRONTING MODERNITY
A New Role for Women
Traditional concepts of honour
(ird)
run deep but sit uneasily
with the freedoms many affluent Jordanian women have come
to expect, largely thanks to universal access to one of the re-
gion's best education systems. Women are entitled to vote
(Jordanian women got the vote in 1967 but didn't have a chance
to use it for the first time until 1989) and a minimum of six wo-
men MPs is guaranteed by royal decree.
In 1991 only 14% of the labour force was made up of wo-
men; by 2010, according to UN data, this had risen to 25.5%,
mainly in health and education. Many women now work in
male-dominated industries and businesses, fewer in media or
the law profession where less than 1% of judges are women.
Women in more traditional societies are also starting to gain some financial independen-
ce and a greater say in society. This is partially through the success of a number of Jordani-
an organisations that encourage small-scale craft production (
Click here
)
and local tourism
projects.
Jordan's Fe-
male Firsts
»
»
1995
Mayor (in Ajloun)
»
»
1996
Judge
»
»
1997
Taxi driver
»
»
2010
First attorney general
»
»
2011
Ambassador to
Washington
Urbanisation
There is an increasing polarisation in Jordanian society between
town and country. In Amman, modern Western-leaning middle-
and upper-class youths enjoy the fruits of a good education,
shop in malls, drink lattes in mixed-sex Starbucks and obsess
over the latest fashions or dreams of democracy. In rural areas,
meanwhile, unemployment is high and many populations
struggle with making ends meet.
Women
Writers on
Jordan
»
»
Nine Parts of Desire
(Ger-
aldine Brooks, 1995) By a
former foreign correspondent.
»
»
West of the Jordan
(Laila
Halaby, 2003) Fictionalised
exploration of modernity
versus tradition.
