Khaberni - The Jordan Economic Forum has issued a paper titled "Jordanian Women and Equality of Opportunity: Jordan's Performance in the Gender Gap Index 2025", within the framework of supporting national development and enhancing the Kingdom's position in international indices related to gender equality and women's empowerment.
The Forum, in a press release, stated that narrowing the gender gap represents not only a legal entitlement but is also a fundamental developmental and economic lever that contributes to improving the efficiency of the national economy and increasing its productivity.
The Forum mentioned that the global gender gap index for 2025 showed that the global gap closure rate reached 68.8%, while Jordan recorded 65.5%, ranking third in the Arab world after the UAE (72.4%) and Bahrain (68.4%). Regarding national trends, the Forum confirmed that Jordan has shown a concrete commitment over the past decade to narrow the gender gap, whether through women's empowerment strategies or by integrating this goal into the economic modernization vision and sustainable development programs.
In this context, the strategic plan of the Ministry of Social Development for the years (2022–2026) shows a clear commitment to increase women's developmental participation to 27% by 2025, alongside incorporating the gender concept in institutional policies and protection and care programs.
The Forum pointed out that these efforts are gradually reflected in Jordan's performance in the gender gap index, where the overall index recorded 0.593 in 2014, rising to 0.655 in 2025, reflecting a gradual improvement resulting from the increase in female enrollment in higher education and their expanded participation in the education and health sectors.
In the same context, it was clarified that the axes of economic participation and political empowerment still represent a major challenge; the rate of Jordanian women's participation in the labor market remains among the lowest regionally, while political representation remains limited despite legislative improvements, especially legislative quotas.
About political reforms, the Forum explained that Local Administration Law No. (22) of 2021 marked a significant turning point by raising the representation of women in local and regional councils from 10% to 25%, reflecting the state's commitment to expanding women's participation in decision-making positions, while the Political Parties Law of 2022 stipulates that women must make up at least 20% of the founding members of any political party, thus enhancing women's presence in party structures.
The Forum noted that the legislative impact assessment study of 2024 on women's participation in political life showed positive results, with the percentage of women participating in Jordanian political parties being around 44% in 2025, representing a tangible progress in the path of political empowerment.
The Jordanian path shows a dual equation; there is a clear will for reform and policy adoption, but the social and economic reality slows the pace of achievement.
In light of this, the Forum called for continuing reforms in the business environment, expanding the social protection umbrella, and encouraging women's entrepreneurship, which are necessities for accelerating the closure of the gap and achieving a qualitative leap in the index.
Regarding the sub-axes of the index over the past decade, the Forum explained that the performance was not balanced; in the educational attainment axis, the index exceeded 0.97 in 2014, reaching 0.99 in 2025, reflecting the superiority of Jordanian women in education, and in the health axis, the index rose from 0.94 in 2014 to 0.956 in 2025, indicating a relative improvement in health care services and equal health opportunities between genders.
On the axis of economic participation and opportunities, the index ranged between 0.50 – 0.55 during the decade, stabilizing at 0.552 in 2025, indicating the weak capacity of the Jordanian economy to absorb educated women, and conversely, the political empowerment axis showed some improvement but remained at modest levels, rising from 0.07 in 2014 to only 0.12 in 2025.
Regarding the importance of the relationship between economic and political empowerment, the Forum pointed out that international experiences and academic references confirm that improving women's participation in the economy and politics contributes to enhancing social justice and improving governance quality, noting that weak economic and political participation is the main reason for the ongoing gender gap in Jordan.
In this framework, it was pointed out that the "breadwinner model," supported by traditional economic and family laws, has contributed to considering women's work as a secondary option.
The Forum indicated that the gender pay gap ranges between 17–21% in Jordan and cannot be explained solely by differences in competence, but rather reflects implicit discrimination factors.
It also explained that constraints such as weak public transport, limited diversity in the private sector, and cultural obstacles negatively affect women's participation in the economy.
The Forum confirmed that the phenomenon known as the "Middle East and North Africa paradox" applies to the Jordanian case, where educational gains have not translated into real employment opportunities, due to weak government employment and the private sector's inability to absorb graduates.
Regarding legislative progress, the Forum noted that amendments in 2019 to the Jordanian Labor Law entrenched the principle of equal pay and prohibited discrimination in the workplace, and required institutions to establish nurseries at work to facilitate balancing family and professional life.
The Forum pointed out that forming the ministerial committee for women's empowerment in 2015 helped unify government efforts and enhance accountability and policy direction in line with Jordan's international commitments.
In the same context, the Forum explained that the Economic Modernization Vision (2022–2033) represented a milestone in supporting gender, focusing on supporting women's entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and increasing women's participation in future sectors such as technology and renewable energy.
The Forum also pointed to the role of civil society and the private sector in supporting projects led by women, especially in rural and badia areas, noting that these initiatives complement government efforts.
About the main structural challenges, the Forum explained that the rate of women's participation in the labor market was only 14.9% in 2024, due to multiple factors, confirming that weak enforcement of Article (72) of the Labor Law related to nurseries is one of the direct reasons for the low participation of women, as World Bank reports indicate low compliance and poor official provision of care services.
It also pointed out that social biases, as shown in surveys like the Arab Barometer and GSNI, limit the acceptance of women's work, affecting family decisions and employment agencies, despite the availability of qualifications.
The Forum pointed out that the labor market suffers from concentration in sectors such as education and health, which are saturated and low-paying sectors, while the private sector lacks part-time or flexible work, reducing women's opportunities.
It confirmed that the wage gap in the private sector is about 17%, and it increases with promotions, reducing the economic incentives for women to continue working long-term, especially in light of child care burdens and commuting.
Regarding social protection, the Forum explained that high-cost social security requirements and the lack of part-time or flexible work weaken the feasibility of women entering the labor market compared to staying out of it.
In light of the above, the Forum recommended a set of concrete policies and interventions, notably: activating Article (72) of the Labor Law, linking it with tax incentives for compliant institutions, expanding nursery support programs in partnership between the public and private sectors, adopting flexible work arrangements with protection of social rights for female workers, and improving public transportation to be safe and low-cost.
It also called for launching training and qualification programs targeted at women in growth sectors such as technology and energy, stimulating the private sector to employ women through linking government incentives to female employment levels, and adopting a national mechanism to measure the gender pay gap and publish its results annually.
It emphasized the need to enhance gender labor inspection and train inspectors to detect discrimination, increase women's representation in elected councils and economic bodies to at least 30%, develop female leaders in parties, unions, and local councils, and incorporate a gender perspective in public policies and national budgets.
It also called for launching a national gender equality observatory to monitor indicators and analyze their impact on human development, review laws with a gender impact such as labor and social security laws and personal status laws, integrate equality concepts in school curricula, and launch awareness campaigns to change stereotypical images.
In conclusion, the Forum emphasized that empowering Jordanian women is not just a matter of justice, but an economic and strategic choice that enhances productivity and increases the competitiveness of the national economy.
