Jordanian Women in Academia: Barriers and Motivators in Scientific Research and Promotion

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the research output and status of women academics in science fields in Jordan. The rationale is to identify trends as well as challenges to advise policy makers and university administrators on how to promote more involvement of women academics within the university. A survey of two sections was developed. The first section included 36 items that measure demographics and challenges in academic, research, administrative, and family contexts. The second section included questions regarding motivators and barriers to academic research. Participants were prompted to respond per the Likert’s Scale, where the responses were later categorized to a dichotomous variable (e.g., yes/no responses). The tools’ reliability and validity were tested in a pilot study conducted among 36 participants as well as from feedback from experts in the field. A description of the profile of women scientists in Jordan is presented. There was no significant difference between married and unmarried academics and their responses regarding opportunities and challenges faced in research. Additionally, there was no significant difference in responses between those who are married to academics and those married to nonacademics. Furthermore, the t-test showed that those who expressed dissatisfaction with promotion rules in their universities significantly expressed facing more challenges than those satisfied with promotion regulations. This is the first comprehensive study investigating women academics in Jordan in specific and in the Middle East region in general. Whereas previous research in the literature focused on comparing women academics’ progress and achievements with that of men academics, the novelty of this study lies in investigating sub-populations of women academics and identifying factors that affect academic achievement among women themselves. The article also offers suggestions for tailored intervention to improve the professional growth of women scientists in Jordan

Addressing Gender Based Violence at Universities: Study of the UJ Legislation

This study aims to identify the legislative articles that deals with addressing Gender Based violence at the University of Jordan spheres. It became clear that in determining the rules of conduct at university spheres. The university legislation was based on a person –university relation (for example the professional relation of faculty members with the university and the academic relation of student with the university). Adopting such criteria in the relation (person –university) created a legal gap in the internal legislative system of the university, which might limit the role of these legislation in combating Gender Based Violence at university spheres. The study reached the following conclusions. The repetition of texts that confront gender-based violence and their similarity in content, and that the amendment of some of them requires the amendment of texts similar to them. There are no provisions in the legislation of the University of Jordan that protect the university space from acts of gender-based violence committed by people who do not have any association with the University of Jordan. The transportation network on campus is unable to meet the needs of university students, which has led some of them to move around campus with people they do not know in private vehicles, and this may increase the likelihood of these students being exposed to gender-based violence, especially sexual violence on the move

The Jordanian women's movement : a historical analysis focusing on legislative change

This thesis examines historically the obstacles that have hindered and the resources that have facilitated the movement's efforts towards achieving women's liberation. A case study of Article 340 of the Jordanian Penal Code, concerned with the so-called phenomenon of honour killing highlights the influence of the Jordanian women's movement on the legal reform process. The methodology used to achieve these objectives was face-to-face interviews with key informants and analysis of documentary resources. My theoretical project is to contribute to the understanding of women's agency Gidden's structuration theory with its focus on the dialectical relations between agency and structure provides the theoretical framework for the research. Furthermore, an examination of selected social movement theories, such as resources mobilisation theory reveals the significance of resources on the emergence and efficacy of the movement. In addition, the theory of political opportunity structure efficiently captures the role that third world states play in determining the changes of third world women's movements. The study identifies two main categories of obstacles facing the movement. The first is obstacles internal to patriarchy, subdivided as structural obstacles and attitudinal obstacles. The second type of obstacles are those internal to the structure of the movement itself. Both external factors, such as UN resolutions, and internal factors, such as the particular history of Jordan were found to be crucial in determining the main historical characteristics of the movement's history from its beginnings as a charitable nationalist movement, through to its revival stage when it began to adopt a more determined feminist agenda. I will argue that women in Jordan posed a significant challenge to their most obvious target of disrupting dominant gender relations. In this respect, the role of religion, social traditions, tribalism, family, economy, and education are examined alongside perceptions of women's reproductive role