Written by Hanaa al-Shloul and translated by Ghassan Makarem As long as the prevailing conflict in Arab societies remains economic, justice will be the only means for radical change, when women become unequivocally equal to men in the job market and the family. Thus, the Jordanian state and community organizations aim to achieve economic justice, […]
When Lebanon’s anti-government revolution kicked off on October 17, women carved out their own spaces in the protests that swept across the country. They demanded an end to corruption and sectarian politics, cried out against the deteriorating living standards and financial crisis, and rallied against the patriarchal system that renders them secondary citizens by all standards.
This article aims to give a glimpse into the lived experiences of Jordanian women online, particularly Facebook, as one of the most popular social media platforms in the country and the world. For this purpose, we initiated a conversation on a Jordanian, closed, women-only Facebook group. This article summarizes the patterns and stories shared by the women who responded to our inquiry. These testimonies were complemented with findings from studies and papers that show and clarify the patterns of harassment and online violence throughout the region and the world.
People with certain gender identities will often find it difficult to express themselves and demand their rights, due to the fanaticism and intolerance vilifying difference in a patriarchal society, a society that refuses to see gender diversity as a legitimate expression of identity and emotions
On 15 August 2017, Jordanians participated in the first decentralized elections along with municipal elections. The occasion was considered a momentous political transformation, following calls by young people and civil society to distribute political and economic pressure equally among governorates instead of being concentrated in the capital. It also allowed young people over 25 to run as candidates for the very first time.
Today Lebanese women are more politically mobilised than they have ever been. 113 female candidates braved a hostile patriarchal political system, a privatised partisan media and skeptical voters to run for office on 6 May 2018. It was a singular achievement in a country which ranks near bottom (no. 137 out of 144) in the global gender gap index1 – in 2009 only 12 women ran for seats in the previous election.