Jordanian Women .. Unprecedented Achievements In Legislations, Empowerment

By Amal Al-Dahoun

AMMAN, March 28 (KUNA) -- The year 2024 is considered a turning point in the path of empowerment for Jordanian women, as it had witnessed unparalleled achievements on a multitude of levels.
This is a direct translation of the vision of King Abdullah II and his deep belief in women as partners in the establishment of the state as well as achieving sustainable development.
On a political level, Jordanian women representation in the local parliament expanded to reach 27 women, a 19.6 percent of total representatives and the highest percentage in the history of the country.
This achievement came as the fruit of momentous changes to the electoral law in 2022, which granted women 18 seats at the parliament, and required parties to have no less than 20 percent female representation.
In 2024, the Jordanian government approved a slew of legislations promoting the rights of women, including social development law providing women with protection against dangers and human trafficking, as well as allowing widowers an unconditional percentage of deceased wife's salary.
Women are now allowed up to 90 days maternity leave, and in a step to bolster working women's stability, a pregnant women is not to be fired.
The flexible working hours system has been adopted to help women achieve balance between career and family.
The packet of legislations also included an insurance system, amendments on role of daycares, and amendments guaranteeing women more financial independence.
Furthermore, the Jordanian government took active measures to strengthen women's economic presence, as it required companies to include at least 20 percent of women on board of directors, as well as adopted policies supporting women owned or managed establishments.
The government launched an online platform to protect the rights of teachers in private schooling systems, implemented anti-harassment policies in the work place, as well as conducted studies on women's economic identity.
These milestones reflected positively on global indices, as Jordan leaped nine steps to reach the 115th place in the global gender gap - political empowerment index.
Jordan's ranking also improved on the Women, Business and the Law (WBL 1.0) index, scoring 59.4 points out of 100, up 12.5 points from 2023.
Its ranking in the global gender gap index - equal pay improved to 18th, advancing 14 places from 2023.
Jordan also ranked first in the Arab world in the number of companies that have joined the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), with 188 companies out of 10,444 companies worldwide that have joined the principles in 2024.
Jordanian women have received high royal recognition, as the King bestowed the order of excellence on three women on the 78th Independence Day, and 40 women were awarded the silver jubilee medal in honor of their efforts in serving the country.
All these achievements reflect Jordan's unwavering commitment to supporting women and enhancing their role in the national development process.
With the continuation of these efforts, Jordan appears to be moving steadily towards a more just and equal future, where Jordanian women are essential partners in building the nation to achieve a comprehensive economic and social development. (end) ad

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