Gender Empowerment

Gender Empowerment

Despite recent progresses in supporting gender equality, such as the inscription in 2022 in the Jordanian Constitution that "Jordanian men and women shall be equal before the law”, and the adoption in 2020 of the National Strategy for Women in Jordan (2020–2025), which sets principles and actions to enhance gender equality, Jordanian women continue to face many obstacles impeding their full participation in the economy and public life.

Jordan is notably ranked 122 out of 146 countries with a score of 0.639 according to the Global Gender Gap Index, behind other MENA countries such as Lebanon, Tunisia and the UAE. In particular, although women constitute the majority of university graduates, they only represent 13% of the workforce. They also remain marginalized in public life and politics, where they only hold 12% of the seats in the Parliament and are largely excluded from decision-making processes. These challenges were exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, which saw a 33% increase in cases of gender-based violence (GBV).

As part of its commitment to encourage gender equality under all its aspects, Al Hayat-RASED has focused on enhancing women’s leadership and empowering them to fully participate in economic and political life. Since 2016, the Center has successfully supported more than 10,000 women through programs and activities aimed at providing them with the necessary skills to engage in decision-making, as well as with the knowledge and opportunities to improve their economic integration.

 

In coming years, Al Hayat-RASED will scale-up its support to gender equality and women empowerment through a two-fold approach:

  • Enhancing women’s role in the economy and the labor market: Al Hayat-RASED will continue existing efforts to support women entrepreneurship and raise awareness on the importance of women’s economic participation to achieve a fair and equitable development. This support will also be complemented by targeted actions to create a more inclusive and enabling environment for women, through the creation of a Women-Friendly Label, encouraging businesses to improve gender-sensitivity in the workplace.
  • Empowering women in politics and decision-making processes: Al Hayat-RASED will build on its 15 years experience to continue supporting female candidates and elected officials, as well as to raise awareness on women’s challenges in politics. In the framework of the new laws on elections and political parties, Al Hayat-RASED will monitor progress related to women’s access to decision-making positions and will advocate for a more gender-balanced political system.