Gender, Leadership and Empowerment: The Case of Jordanian Women

Abstract

Having women reach leadership positions and become influential members of society has long been a significant objective of development in Jordan. Despite efforts to empower women in the fields of economy, politics and society as a whole, the percentage of women in leadership rolesremains very low. To investigate the various dimensions of women and leadership in Jordan, various Jordanian women leaders from different parts of the kingdom were interviewed. Their responses were analyzed by engaging with aspects of gender, feminist, and leadership theories. While all of the women interviewed hold leadership positions within their respective institutions or communities, the majority of women perceive holding a political position constitutes the highest form of leadership in Jordan. They discuss their experiences and ambitions of running for Parliament and thus perceive being in politics as not only the most visible form of leadership but also the most influential. Despite the predominance of patriarchal norms, feminist consciousness provided women with a sense of agency over their lives, thereby shifting common held beliefs about gender as static.