Where we work
Jordan
Why we work in Jordan
Gender inequality is still one of the major issues hindering Jordan’s development.
In 2022, only 14.2% of women participated in the labour force. This is one of the lowest rates in the world. Women’s labour force participation continues to be limited to certain sectors only, such as education, and health and social work. These percentages decline as women get older, and is one of the reasons that very few women take on leadership positions.
Women’s political participation is also very low. According to a report by the United Nations, in 2022, women held only 12% of parliamentary seats in Jordan. In 2022, a study conducted by Jordanian Women’s Union, Women’s work, their Political Participation and Gender Based Violence, found that 94.4% of women surveyed were not engaged in partisan action or work, 4% were engaged in political parties and 1.5% had been engaged in political parties previously.
Gender-based violence remains a standard practice because violence has been normalised and rarely sanctioned by law. Sexual violence, which takes place in private and public spaces and includes sexual harassment and marital rape, is often treated with secrecy because of its direct connection to women’s reputations and that of their family. Equally, domestic violence is treated as a private matter for fear of tarnishing family reputation.
Despite legislation that exists to protect victims of violence, implementation remains a challenge.
WORKING FOR GENDER JUSTICE INTERNATIONALLY
In addition to Jordan, KVINFO works for Gender Equality in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ukraine and Georgia in the current strategy period.
Click on one of the countries above to read more about our work.
What we do
In Jordan, KVINFO works with feminist organisations to promote gender justice.
We work on issues related to gender-based violence, equal political participation and engagement in public debate, tackling gender stereotypes and norms, producing knowledge on relevant issues and using that knowledge to conduct evidence based advocacy for legislative reform and changes in harmful practices.
Examples of the types of issues we work on with partners include:
- prevention of child, early and forced marriage
- awareness raising among rights holders and duty bearers on the electoral law and democratic practices
- awareness raising on GBV and gender stereotypes
- feminist leadership skills to galvanise campaigns and communities
- feminist schools
- knowledge production and advocacy on women’s participation in the labour market
Who we work with
In Jordan, KVINFO works with two types of organisations.
The first type are big membership-based women’s rights organisations with broad outreach, well-established networks, and contacts with national politicians and other duty bearers.
The second type of organisations are small, often relatively newly established and specialised organisations. They are issue-based, more agile and innovative, and develop, apply and adapt new methodologies. They are often localised with smaller reach but have the potential to scale up.
