Jordan: Recast as a ‘movement’, gender equality campaign expands its outreach

The Jordan Times
By Thameen Kheetan

AMMAN - Women's rights activist Zein Qandour had no idea that an Arabic rock concert in the capital earlier this week would introduce her to a local gender equality campaign.

The 26-year-old social worker, who went to King Hussein Park on Saturday with some friends to watch her favourite band Jadal perform, discovered that the concert was part of a launch ceremony for the Gender Equality Movement (GEM).

During the 10-hour event, around 1,500 Jordanians and foreigners discussed human rights and equality between the two genders in an open day that also featured a skit on women's rights by two Jordanian actors.

Qandour believes that gender equality depends on various factors, including people's "social level, financial situation and education".

She noted that those who have more money are better educated, and thus are more aware of gender equality.

Qandour attributed this relationship between economic status and equality awareness to less interest in the issue in remote areas of the country compared to the capital - the richest city in Jordan - according to an official study conducted last year by the Department of Statistics.

While some at the open day lauded and encouraged the GEM initiative, others said they considered the rights and responsibilities of men and women to be different.

Iraqi national Diaa Jamil, 54, described the movement's idea as “interesting”, but added that equality would only become possible through "educating people".

"I am with any sort of equality that does not contradict our values, norms and religious teachings," said 40-year-old Saleh Zioud, explaining that males and females have "different natures”.

A 60-year-old woman, who requested anonymity, told The Jordan Times that there is no such thing as gender equality noting that each side had its own duties and rights in accordance with her religion, Islam.

"There is cooperation, giving and taking, but not equality," she said.

But Rawan Bazzari disagreed.

The 30-year-old believes society, not religion, is an obstacle to equality. Calling for "total" equality between men and women, Bazzari acknowledged that she does not foresee such a situation in Jordan in the near future.

"Not any time soon… we are in a tribal society where customs and traditions do not favour gender equality," she told The Jordan Times, but added that she is treated as an equal by her brothers at home and her male colleagues at work.

According to Bazzari, women take advantage of their unequal status to gain favours and shirk responsibilities. "Being a female, she usually gets things done for her."

Saturday’s event, funded by Freedom House, also hosted awareness booths representing 13 local and international NGOs and civil society organisations, including the Jordan Breast Cancer Programme and the Jordanian National Commission for Women.

From campaign

to movement

Held under the official sponsorship of the Greater Amman Municipality, the launch marked the transformation of the former Gender Equality Campaign into a “movement”, a decision organisers said was aimed at emphasising the continuity of their action.

Contrary to "movement", the word "campaign" suggests that it will come to an end, according to GEM leader Dina Liddawi, who said the new name would tell the public the initiative is "endless".

To this end, she and six other GEM volunteers will now focus their efforts on fundraising for the movement's future activities.

During its first year, the campaign commenced with street dialogues in different cities where young activists used brochures, stickers and word of mouth to raise awareness on the issue of gender equality.

This week's event was part of a new approach that GEM activists will use to open a societal debate on the issue of gender equality among Jordanians, incorporating larger events and performances to make their cause more visible.

Liddawi noted that the movement’s expanding presence is in large part thanks to the energy of its volunteers.

"The boys and the girls working with us have become more committed," she said, adding that this made it easier for the movement to address the public.

"People are accepting the idea of gender equality more and more," she noted.

Among the newcomers in GEM is university student Tamara Abu Khader, who said she heard about the campaign through a friend.

"When you explain the professional, societal and educational aspects of gender equality to people, they accept the idea," she told The Jordan Times.

"We do not have anything to do with either religion, or customs and traditions… we’re talking about political, legal and civil rights."