Women in the governorate of Ma’an (Jordan) experience vulnerability and marginalization due to male domination within the family but also in decision-making. The clans -groups of interrelated families- support men’s nomination to leadership positions even if they are not efficient and despite the existence of women leaders. Moreover, in conservative areas, women do not support each other due to a lack of confidence in their ability in leadership positions. Also, women’s weak financial capacity , and women’s ignorance of legislation -particularly concerning women’s rights and duties- limits their candidacy and active participation in the elections.

The Al-Anwar Women Charity Society has chosen, through the realization of a diagnosis, to analyze women leaders’ needs for increasing their access to elected positions and decision-making. They aim at discussing ideas with the involved stakeholders in Ma’an Governorate on how to make the community accept to have women in leadership positions. In this context, the diagnosis will examine social ties’ behaviors and traditional stereotypes of women’s role in society, customs and traditions that impact negatively on women’s participation in public affairs and the role of associations and civil society institutions in promoting women’s participation in public life. Several research facilities, the Ma’an governance, an association and various media will be involved in the implementation of the diagnosis. These entities constitute the local cluster of gender equality actors© that will be mobilized by Al-Anwar in the first semester of 2018.

Several activities are planned, such as a survey on women’s leadership in Ma’an Governorate through mobilizing and consulting 6 focus groups, the holding of a meeting with the local cluster’s members to validate the survey’s findings, and a public presentation of the diagnosis.

Al-Anwar was selected following a call for applications launched by the Foundation in 2017 to mobilize the actors of gender equality at a local level in 2018 (3rd edition). The diagnosis on women’s access to decision making at local level in Ma’an Governorate will be published in our Documentary center and widely disseminated at a Euro-Mediterranean level. The Al-Anwar’s action is part of the project "Strengthening the capacity of equality actors" funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and coordinated by the IEMed in synergy with the FFEM.

This action also falls under the framework of the project "Developing women’s empowerment", labelled by the Union for the Mediterranean.

For more information on the local clusters of gender equality actors set up by the Foundation, click here.