Jordan Times
Friday, June 29, 2007
Al-Ali highlights Kingdom’s commitment to women’s empowerment
Planning and International Cooperation Minister Suhair Al-Ali on Thursday said the government is keen on empowering women
both economically and politically by amending legislation and encouraging their increased participation in the
decision-making process.
The minister made the remarks during a meeting yesterday with an Indonesian parliamentary delegation headed by Aisha Hamid
Baidlowi.
The delegation is on a four-day official visit to the Kingdom to conduct a comparative study on women’s empowerment and get
acquainted with the concerned laws and regulations.
Highlighting Jordan’s firm commitment to international treaties that advocate women’s rights, Al-Ali discussed the
importance of integrating gender mainstreaming in the Kingdom’s development plans as women play a key role in the pursuit
of sustainable development.
The minister said despite the government’s good record of gender parity in education, only some 13 per cent of Jordanian
women are economically active in the formal sector, noting that while overall unemployment stood at around 15 per cent,
among women it was 25 per cent.
She also noted that women constitute only 4 per cent of all entrepreneurs in the country, in spite of the government’s
efforts to encourage more women to take part in the private sector, and the fact that over 90 per cent of all businesses
are small- and medium-sized enterprises.
“Although women in Jordan enjoy full freedom in participating in public life, including the right to vote and run for
elections,” their representation remains below expectation, the minister said.
She added that there is strong political will and support for increasing women’s participation in the decision-making
process, citing the seven women in the 55-member Upper House, and six deputies in the 110-member Lower House of Parliament,
in addition to the introduction of a 20 per cent quota for women in the municipal councils in the new Municipalities Law.
As part of the government’s steps to enable and empower women, Al-Ali referred to the ministry’s gender division’s role in
promoting partnerships with other ministries, civil society organisations and the private sector to further women’s economic
empowerment and political participation.
Al-Ali also referred to the High-Level Policy Forum on Gender held earlier this year, which aimed to address challenges
facing the advancement of women and increase women’s participation in the political and economic arenas.
The minister told the delegates that integrating gender mainstreaming in future plans and the empowerment of women
necessitates the concerted efforts of the public and private sectors as well as civil society.
For her part, Baidlowi commended the Kingdom’s achievements in mitigating gender disparities and the social, political and
economic empowerment of women, which have rendered Jordan a model in the region.