Introduction
Title page
Table of contents
Introduction 1
I. Study Subject and Main Questions 1
II. Clarifying Terminology 9
Movement's outcomes 11
Women's Movements Organization 11
Women's activists 12
III. Methodology 13
Study Methods and Tools 13
Study population and sample 14
1 A Gender Sensitive Reading in the Interpretation of the Women's Movement
within the context of Civil Society and New Social Movements Theories 22
The analysis of the women's movements within the context of civil society
23
1.2 Social movements in the context of the New social Movements Theory
29
1.3 Women's Movements, Social Movements and Civil Society: Feminist Critique
32
1.4 Feminist analysis of women's movements 37
1.5 Women's Movement and civil society in the contemporary Jordanian
debates: a gender sensitive review 41
General discussion 51
2 The Women's movement in Jordan 55
2.1 The Life Cycles 55
2.2 Contemporary Developments 61
2.3 External and Internal factors shaping the contemporary developments of
the women's movement 67
2.3.1 Political Developments Since 1989 67
2.3.1.1 The Parliament dissolved and the elections postponed 70
2.3.1.2 The application of temporary laws 71
2.3.1.3 The Campaign of "Jordan First" 73
2.3.1.4 Jordanian women benefiting from the absence of the conservative
parliament
76
2.3.2 The International interest in women's issues 79
2.3.2.1 The role of the UN international conferences and conventions 79
2.3.2.2 International Aid and the role of the international agencies 81
2.3.3 Transformation at the societal level 85
General discussion 89
3 Activism of Contemporary women's Movement 92
3.1 Organizational form of women's collective action 93
3.1.1 Directed Organizations 94
3.1.1.1 Governmental Initiatives 94
The General Federation of Jordanian women 94
3.1.1.2 The princess Initiatives 99
3.1.1.2.1 The Jordanian National Committee for Women 104
3.1.1.2.2 Jordanian National Forum for Women (JNFW) 106
3.1.1.2.3 Princess Basma Women's Resource Center (PBWRC) 107
3.1.2 Associational Linkages 109
3.1.2.1 Arab Women Organization (AWO) 109
3.1.2.2 The Business and Professional Women?s Club (BPWC) 111
3.1.2.3 The Human Forum for Women?s Rights (HFWR) 111
3.1.3 Independent Women?s Organizations and Initiatives 113
3.1.3.1 The Jordanian Women Union (JWU) 114
3.1.3.2 The National Campaign to Eliminate Crimes of Honor 116
3.2 Members and activists 121
3.2.1 Socioeconomic characteristics of members and activists of women's
organizations
122
3.2.2 Members role in decision-making processes within the context of
women's organizations 123
3.2.3 Members of women's organizations evaluating the general organizational
Performance 129
3.2.4 Types of Member- and Leader-ships within the Women's Movement 131
3.2.5 Leadership Forms and Conditions 133
General Evaluation 136
Women's movement activists 136
Denied activists: the case of Taujan Faisal 137
Organizational form of Activism 143
4 Women's Interests: Programs and Projects of Women's Organizations 146
4.1 Identifying Women's Interests 146
4.1.1 Women's activists identifying women's interests in Jordan 147
4.1.1.1 Poverty 147
4.1.1.2 Education and Training 149
4.1.1.3 Health, Mother and Child Care 152
4..1.1.4 Legal issues 155
4.1.4.5 Violence against Women 158
4.1.1.6 Political participation, Positions of Power and Decision-Making
161
4.1.4.7 Possible implementation of a Quota system and its impact on women's
political participation in Jordan 165
4.2 Projects and the Programs implemented by women's organizations meeting
Women's Interests in Jordan 166
4.2.1.1 The National Plan of Action for the Advancement of Jordanian Women
167
4.2.1.2 The National Strategy for Women in Jordan (NSWJ) 168
4.2.1.3 The Socioeconomic Plan for the Period (1999-2003) 173
4.2.1.4 The National Information Center for Women (NICW) 173
4.2.2 Projects and programs implemented by independent and associational
women's organizations identifying and meeting women's interests 175
General Discussion 181
5 Limitations and problems facing the women's movement in Jordan 187
5.1 The Role of the State 187
5.1.1 Legal Framework of women's action 188
5.1.2 The Role of the Princess 192
5.2 The societal reaction: the role of Islamism and Tribalism 194
5.3 Autonomy question: A movement mobilizing resources or resources
mobilizing the movement
206
5.4 Problems related to the general performance of women's organizations and
lack of competence 209
General Evaluations 212
Conclusions: The Women's movement, political transformation and civil society
in Jordan 215
II. Two Approaches of emancipating women 223
III. Determinant factors of the movement's sociopolitical outcomes 225
Final Comments 228
Bibliography 232
Attachment (1) and (2) 244
244
Attachment (3) 250
Attachment (4) 253
Figures Index
Figure (1): Organizational structure of women's organizations supervised by
the princess 107
Figure (2): Organizational structure of women's organizations 135
Figure (3): Women's educational levels 158
Figure (4): Average of Number of Births Per Woman according to their
Educational Level 162
Tables Index
Table (1): Organizations of the Women's Movement 16
Table (2): Study Population and Sample 18
Table (3): Socioeconomic backgrounds of members of women's organization 124
Table (4): Membership type and condition 126
Table (5): Member's evaluation of the organizations 129
Table (6): Impacts of the projects and programs implemented by women's
organizations on their members 131
Table (7): Types of Membership within the Women's Movement Organizations
132
Table (8): Socioeconomic characteristics of women's organizational activists
134
Table (9): Female illiteracy Rate (15+), 1979-1998 151
Table (10): Number of Men and Women Candidates in the Parliamentary
Elections of 1989,1993 and 1997 162
Table (11): Number of elected and appointed members of the Jordanian
Parliament based on gender during the years 1989,
1993, and 1997 163
Table (12): Projects and programs implemented by Independent and
associational women's organizations. 179
Table (13): Two main Approaches for emancipating women in Jordan 183This study examines the developments within the contemporary women's movement
in Jordan. The analysis tried to place these developments within the
mainstream of sociopolitical modernization processes taking place in the
country. Such placement includes viewing the women's movement (one of the most
dynamic elements of civil society) as an active driving force of
sociopolitical change, and looks at sociopolitical outcomes of the women's
movements, in terms of emancipating women, and sensitizing the society and
state's policies to gender issues, and equal rights of women. In specific
terms, the study tried to answer questions related to: What is new in the
women's movement of Jordan today? What are the strategies and politics they
apply to pursue their objectives? to what extent is the women's movement
successful in politicizing women's issues, and in what areas? In addition,
what are the resources of the women's movement and to what extent do these
assist or hinder the movement's success or failure?
To answer these questions the study implemented diverse methods. On one hand,
face-to-face interviews were conducted with the activist women, and on the
other hand, a questionnaire that aimed at collecting data related to the
socioeconomic backgrounds of members and leaders of women's organizations was
distributed. Lastly, documents provided by the organizations were analyzed and
compared with the several field visits to the organizations conducted during
the fieldwork phase.
The study found out that two main phases are to be distinguished with respect
to the analysis of the women's movement: the emergence phase, and renaissance
phase. While the first phase was mainly characterized by charity work, the
contemporary phase is enjoying the emergence of a feminist consciousness,
which set in motion the introduction of a feminist agenda, which deals with
new themes and being carried out by new forms of female activism.
The study closes with investigating the sociopolitical obstacles that hinders
and limit the work of the women's movement and the politicization of women-
specific issues. In this respect, the study evaluated the role of the state
represented by state institutions and state figures such as the princess; the
role of the gender ideology which is being comprised by the religion and
cultural heritage ; and finally the role of structural problems related to the
women's movement itself, namely the decision making process, autonomy question
and participation structures with women's organizations.Die Abfassung dieser Dissertation über der Zeitgenössischen Frauenbewegung in
Jordanien beruhte sich auf zwei Hauptzwecken. Zum Einen, geht es darum die
Entwicklung der Frauenbewegung seit 1974 bis heute darzustellen. Dabei sollen
die Wirkungen verschiedener nationaler und internationaler sozialpolitischer
Faktoren in Betracht gezogen werden.. Gleichzeitig soll gezeigt werden, dass
die Frauenbewegung das dynamischste Element der Zivilgesellschaft und eine
aktive Triebkraft gesellschaftspolitischer Veränderung ist, und nicht nur ein
passiver Empfänger ihrer Auswirkungen. Zweitens hat diese Studie das Ziel, die
gesellschaftspolitischen "Outcomes" der Frauenbewegung zu überprüfen:
hinsichtlich der Wirkung ihres Emanzipationsprojekts und ihres Versuchs, die
Gesellschaft und den Staat für Gender- und Gleichberechtigungspolitik zu
sensibilisieren.
In diesem Kontext versucht die Studie, einige Fragen zu beantworten, nämlich:
Was ist neu an der zeitgenössischen Frauenbewegung hinsichtlich der Formen der
Aktivitäten, der Ziele ihrer Arbeit und der Diskurse über die Frauenfrage?
Welche Strategien und Politik werden bei der Verwirklichung ihrer Ziele
verwendet? Welche Hindernisse und Beschränkungsfaktoren stehen der
Verwirklichung der Fraueninteressen in Jordanien im Weg? Und schließlich, in
welchen Bereichen haben sie es geschafft, ihre Agenda umzusetzen, und in
welchen nicht, und warum?
Um diese Fragen zu beantworten, wurden vielfältige Methoden verwendet.
Organisationen der Frauenbewegung waren der Hauptgegenstand der
Untersuchungen. Da man nicht alle Frauenorganisationen in Jordanien zur
Frauenbewegung rechnen kann, wurden für diese Studie nur Frauenorganisationen
(insgesamt neun) untersucht, bei denen sowohl die Mitglieder als auch die
Zielgruppe Frauen sind. Anhand dieser ausgewählten Organisationen werden
beispielhaft Ziele und Aktivitäten auf der Organisationsebene behandelt. Dazu
wurden die von den Organisationen zur Verfügung gestellten Dokumente
analysiert und mit den Ergebnissen von Besuchen bei diesen Organisationen
verglichen.
Die Studie fand heraus, dass es zwei Hauptphasen in bezug auf die Analyse der
Frauenbewegung zu unterschieden gibt: Eine Formations-, und Renaissancephase.
Während die erste Phase sich auf hauptsächlich von Wohltätigkeitarbeit
beziehet, genießt die zeitgenössische Phase die Entsehung eines feministischen
Bewusstseins. Diese Bewusstsein wurde von der Durchführung einer
feministischen Tagesordnung, charakterisiert, die sich mit neuen Themen wie
Gewalt gegen Frauen, Frauen und Politik beschäftigt.
Zum Schluss bietet die Studie einer Untersuchung der gesellschaftspolitischen
Hindernisse, die die Arbeit der Frauenbewegung und die Politisierung von
Frauenfragen beschränken könnten. In diesem Hinblick untersuchte die Studie
die Rolle der Staatinstitutionen und Staatfiguren wie die Prinzessin (Basma
Bint Talal), die Rolle der Religion und Kulturerbe; Und schließlich die
Hindernisse die sich auf den internen Strukturen der Frauenorganisationen
beziehen, nämlich die Strukturen den Entscheidungsprozessen, und die
Autonomiefrage
