Discover Jordan : Society (social life)

A tradition of welcome and tolerance

The kindness of the population is its calling card, always ready to welcome and to help. Here, Arab hospitality is not an empty word and has not been spoiled by mass tourism. In the past, among the Bedouins, when a stranger arrived in a tribe, he was welcomed without question; he was offered room and board. This tradition of hospitality and generosity, which is deeply rooted in the mentality, still persists today, even in the cities, and is the pride of the Jordanian people. The importance of the family is also part of the ancestral way of life and crosses all levels of society. Family solidarity is obviously the core of the cell. This is why grandparents often live with their children and grandchildren, crammed into the same house.

The Bedouin clan is based on a strict patriarchal system: the sheikh ("elder") is the traditional leader of a clan or tribe. He must perpetuate the traditions and rules of the clan. Each community has its own code of conduct and each member must respect it. This tradition of respect for the elders and the clan leader is part of the reason for the great respect Jordanians have for the king and the royal family.

The influence of Islam

If Jordanians are tolerant and practice, for the vast majority, a moderate Islam, religion is an integral part of daily life and strongly influences mentalities. This is evident even in the language, where the famous "inch'Allah" punctuates many sentences and expresses the oriental fatalism according to which everything that happens is the expression of God's will. Today, Jordan is a nation suspended between secular traditions and modernity. As in all developing countries, ostentatious luxury contrasts with extreme poverty. But charity is very developed, based on very strong religious principles, especially at the time of Ramadan and the main religious holidays, when the wealthiest distribute food and clothing to the poorest. In addition, many families, especially in rural areas, are very traditionalist. Many keep separate rooms in their homes for men and women. A Western woman will usually have the chance to greet the women before being admitted to the men's house as a distinguished guest. She will thus see both sides of family life. The majority of Jordanian women only socialize with other women outside of the immediate family circle. Men, on the other hand, lead a social life between work and relaxation in cafes smoking hookah, drinking tea or playing dominoes.

A two-speed society

There is a very pronounced difference between the youth of Amman, who are very westernized, and the rest of the country's population, which is still very conservative, especially in the countryside. Even in the capital, the difference between the well-to-do neighbourhoods of Abdoun and Shmeisani and the traditional, working-class neighbourhoods of the old city, or the Palestinian refugee camps on the outskirts, is glaring. Thus, the young people of the middle classes and the bourgeoisie speak English, shop in modern shopping malls, go to the movies, meet in trendy cafés with a mixed clientele, surf the Internet... A lifestyle that has nothing to do with that of the Bedouins.

Everyone wears the environment to which they belong, and holds on to it with pride. There is no intrinsic shame linked to a profession, but it is not uncommon to feel contempt for the working classes in the more affluent strata of the population.

The wedding

Relationships between men and women outside of marriage are prohibited, and women face jail time for disobeying their guardians if they are found to have done so. Arranged marriages, as well as those between first cousins, were still common, although it was rare to force a union that one of the "promised" men did not really want. To obtain the approval of both families, the bride must bring a dowry and the furniture of the house, while the groom is responsible for the accommodation. In the best of all possible worlds, many couples with little money find themselves condemned to remain engaged for ten or fifteen years, the time it takes to amass a sufficient nest egg. In the meantime, they meet in public places, sometimes with a chaperone. Polygamy is still legal and a man can marry up to 4 women. In practice, this is rare, as the man must provide a house for each of his wives and be able to raise their offspring

The age of consent for marriage, which used to be 16 for men and 15 for women, was raised to 18 for both sexes in 2018. Islamic courts, which are responsible for enforcing personal law, still have the option of approving unions between younger people, however. Divorce is increasingly common in the country - the phenomenon may have been encouraged by King Hussein, who himself divorced twice - and since 2002 a temporary law has allowed women to seek a divorce on condition that they forfeit any financial compensation. The number of divorces has increased from about 1,000 in 2011 to 22,000 in 2016. However, it is noted that Islamic courts (with jurisdiction over marriages, divorces, and inheritances) find it more difficult to grant divorce to women than to men. Moreover, divorce is still very poorly accepted socially. Domestic violence (and honor killings) are also a major problem in Jordan, despite a real political will to fight against these phenomena. A law targeting this violence has been adopted. The government opened a shelter for abused women and children in 2018. Dar Amneh, which means "Safe House," aims to end protective custody. Until then, women victims of domestic violence who were in grave danger were placed in remand homes, without any charges being brought against them, and for an indefinite period of time. Only the provincial governor had the power to end this administrative detention. The government also trained mosque preachers on domestic violence. Marital rape is still not recognized.

Education and youth

Jordan has made great strides in education in recent years, which is essential for a country where more than a third of the population is under the age of 15. Schooling is compulsory until the age of 15, and more than 95 percent of children actually attend school until that age. The majority attend public schools, where education is free at the primary and secondary levels. However, private schools are becoming increasingly common, especially in Amman. An estimated 39% of students now attend higher education, which is fee-based. In 2015, women accounted for more than 60% of students in higher institutes and more than 40% of students in universities. The country has about 20 universities, both public and private. Among the most important, the University of Jordan (1962) is located in Amman while the University of Yarmouk (1976) is located in Irbid. Computer science and new technologies are widely taught in order to open Jordanian youth to the modern world and make the country more competitive. The country also has several specialized higher education institutions. The literacy rate of the population over 15 years old is estimated at 98.2%.

The place of women in society

Jordanian women have more rights and freedoms than those in neighbouring countries: they have access to education (the number of girls and boys in primary and secondary schools is almost identical), can vote (since 1967, although they were not able to exercise their right until 1989), can drive and work, and even hold important positions in business and politics. But this is only a small percentage of the female population. In the lower house of parliament, for example, there are only 20 women out of a total of 130 seats. This apparent freedom is due in large part to the royal family's support for the feminist cause, particularly through Princesses Noor, Basma and Rania. The general attitude towards women remains fairly conservative, although this depends greatly on the social milieu in which they find themselves. One only has to walk through the streets of Amman or even more so in the villages to realize that women are much less present than men in the public space, while the ratio of men to women is slightly in favor of women. Jordanian society is still based on a patriarchal model. Although measures offering more protection and rights to women have recently been adopted (notably in an attempt to eradicate violence against women), inequalities remain glaring. For example, a woman will inherit only half the amount her brothers receive (and this is progress, since not so long ago she would have received only one eighth!).

The percentage of working women remains very low in Jordan. It is about 15%, which is the^4th lowest rate in the world! In other words, 85% of women are unemployed and not looking for work. The economic crisis in the country has forced a number of women to work in order to contribute to the household income. However, more and more women from wealthy backgrounds with an education are becoming empowered. On the other hand, it is this same economic crisis that is increasing religious fundamentalism and bringing back to the streets women with their faces completely veiled in black. While some do so for reasons of conviction, many are simply obeying their legal guardians. The vast majority of Jordanian women wear the veil. In Amman, the veil can sometimes be combined with tight jeans, but most women also wear a coat or a covering tunic. The full veil remains marginal. It is in Bedouin families, in the deserts, that the seclusion of women is most deeply rooted. The women of high society often live in a more Western than traditional way.