Women in Jordan

Jordanian women have equal rights under their constitution.  They can vote, work and go to school...by the law.

But sometimes culture trumps all.

When we were at the castle in the north one of the Arab women talking with us would not stand with us to have her picture taken.  Her husband wasn't there and thus, he hadn't given her permission.



Most all (perhaps all) unmarried women live at home.

A family considered sending their daughter away from Amman for protection - from her brother.  He was caught hitting her for going outside the house with nail polish on.  Apparently the father was too "liberal" and so the boy had been told by his uncles that it was his duty to protect the family honor - which included ensuring that his sister did not shame herself or the family.

The hijab is the head covering worn by many women in Jordan. It is more than just a scarf; it consists of a tight band that covers the hair in front and then a scarf which is then wrapped around the head and often fastened with a pin.

No hair shows. 

Many women also wear sunglasses, obscuring their eyes and a good part of their face.

Some women wear an extra "piece" under the hijab on the back of the head to give the impression of more hair underneath.



One young woman decided to start wearing an hijab at the start of Ramadan this year. Apparently her family did not encourage her and in fact did not want her to wear it. She said she wanted to make the commitment to her faith and I heard comments that sounded like she was being welcomed into womanhood or taking her vows.

We talked with a young woman (on the day we visited the Jordan Museum). She was dressed in a jilbab (which looks like a trenchcoat) and an hijab. 

She had lots to say about her life in Jordan and how confining it was for women. (In fact she referred to her house as Abu Graib and her father as the jailer.) 

We asked her how come she was wearing a hijab if she felt that way. She told us that she wore it because women who chose to show their hair are viewed by some as lower class.  

She found out that we were Americans and wanted to talk about free speech. Come to find out she wrote out secret thoughts about her life and her frustrations, but she said she didn't feel safe in publishing what she had written..."too dangerous," she said. 

We suggested she start an anonymous Facebook page and start posting her story.  I'm sorry that I didn't get an email address from her - we both might have learned a lot from staying in touch.

Here's a picture taken outside the gate to the University of Jordan.  The woman in the middle is wearing a niqab or veil that covers the face except for the eyes. She is also wearing gloves.

Many of the devout women wear skirts rather than pants...showing one's crotch is not considered proper by some. Sometimes under the skirt a pair of leggings are worn - in case the wind blows the skirt up and legs might show.

Not all women wear hijabs or cover their butt.  Many of these women are students and some are Westerners.

I went to a lovely bookstore yesterday. (Amman may have more bookstores than Charleston!)  The salesman was doing his job and trying to interest me in books to buy.  One was, as he described, a "coffee table" book on Jordan and was published by the bookstore.  And, indeed, it had beautiful pictures of Jordan - places I've been: Wadi Rum and Petra and the Dead Sea.  There were also pictures of women in the book - women with long blond and flowing hair and sunhats and capri pants -- sitting in the ruins or strolling through the parks.  Not an hijab to be seen.  No black shrouds.  No hidden faces.

I asked why there were no Jordanian women pictured.  The reply was "I guess the scenery was the important thing."

So, I'm here to say.  Jordanian women generally don't have blond hair.