This semester is the first time I have ever taken a gender studies course.

Since I’m living in a part of the world that has a society rooted in patriarchy, the best way I figured I could learn about this important cultural aspect was by taking a class on how it affects the region.

So far, I have been learning a lot about basic theory in the feminist perspective as well as the concept of gender studies in general. I also learned that a person’s gender impacts them wherever they go.

I have also explored specific and real-life examples of the impact of gender roles, in this case specifically between men and women in the Middle East. These have come not from this gender class but from the social policy course I am taking.

As I began researching social issues in Jordan for the class, it has become alarmingly clear that women and men are far from equal in Jordan. This, coupled with the experiences I have had so far with gender norms in Jordan, has helped me realize the importance of acknowledging these issues in my host country.

While Jordan has signed and ratified many treaties and conventions from the United Nations that protect women, the country’s reservations for some of the conventions highlight social norms that discriminate against women in the country.

State policies and laws also back up these cultural norms. If, for example, a woman has a job that impedes her ability to care for her home, she should quit that job. According to a 2012 Jordan case study by the UNDP, discriminatory laws include the inability of women to pass on nationality to their husband or children and the husband’s ability to prevent his wife from working if it hurts the unity of the family.

Women are leaders of private life while men are leaders of public life in Jordan. According to the United Nations economic and social council, only 14.9 percent of women are included in the labor force.

This is one of the most alarming statistics on how gender norms affect a society that needs employees in order to eventually work toward a more sustainable economy that is not so heavily reliant on foreign aid.

This is not to say that Jordan hasn’t done anything to level the playing field between men and women, or that it is not a champion of human rights. According to a September 23 article in the Jordan Times, the total number of women in parliament rose from 18 in 2013 to 20 in 2016, where five women won out of the quota system. This is a historic event in a region where women are known for not obtaining positions of leadership.

Women also have a lot more agency in Jordan than I expected, and there is an increasing call for equality for women by Jordanian citizens. Many, if not all of the Jordanians I have spoken to about female equality have said many people want equality, and are working towards it in the country.

While I do agree that Jordan is a positive example of slowly — emphasis on the slowly — working towards an equal society for men and women, there is still a long way to go for the country.

Realizing the steps students’ host countries have taken towards gender equality, as well as what the international community believes the country still needs to work on, is an important factor to consider when living in communities abroad.

Katelyn Faubel is a junior newspaper and online journalism and international relations dual major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email her at kmfaubel@syr.edu.

Published on October 3, 2016 at 10:09 pm