Gender-Based Empowerment: Endorsing Legislations to Support Equal Opportunities for Education in the Practice Dr. Rania F. Al-Rabadi and Prof. Dr. Anas N. Al-Rabadi* * The University of Jordan P.O. Box 13737 Amman 11942 - Jordan International Conference “Where Do We Go From Here? Perspectives on Equal Opportunity Policies at Egyption and German Universities“ Cairo - Egypt, 1 st – 3 rd November 2014
Outline • Legal Gender – Based Equal Opportunities in Higher Education • Status Analysis of Gender-Based Equal opportunities in the Jordanian Universities • Positive Discrimination • Measures of Raising Awareness with Regards to Cultural Gender – Based Preferences • Future Plans International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 1
Legal Gender – Based Equal Opportunities in Higher Education • Article 6: (i) Jordanians shall be equal before the law. There shall be no discrimination between them as regards to their rights and duties on grounds of race, language or religion. • ( ii) The Government shall ensure work and education within the limits of its possibilities, and it shall ensure a state of tranquality and equal opportunities to all Jordanians. International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 2
• Citizenship is a set of practices, legal, political, economic and cultural; the practices of citizenship, while affected by law, vary from the written law. It is not about the idea of citizenship reserving the rights in the constitution, but about enjoying these rights by practicing them (Joseph, 2002). • Indeed, in Jordan there is a gap in equal opportunities between the theory and practice. This is due to social and cultural obsticals. The Arab Human Development Report argues in 2009 that a cultural preference is the persistent view that a male education is more important than a Female (UNDP, 2009: 155). International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 3
Status Analysis of Gender-Based Equal Opportunities in the Jordanian Universities • Female academics and female university staff members can face diverse discriminations. When this occurs, not only this can be inherently damaging to the careers and ambitions of those women, but it also has a negative effect on future generations of female research students, academics and professorial staff and more generally for the academic discipline. International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 4
Teaching Faculty (2011 – 2012): The University of Jordan • No. Professors (Amman): 374 • No. Associate Professors (Amman): 360 • No. Assistant Professors (Amman): 319 -------------------------------------------------------- • No. Faculty (Amman / Total): 1,053 Females: 326 Males: 727 • No. Professors (Aqaba): 40 • No. Associate Prof (Aqaba): 17 • No. Assistant Professors (Aqaba): 95 --------------------------------------------------------- • No. Faculty (Aqaba/ Total): 152 Females: 47 Males: 105 • No. Faculty (Total): 1,205 Females: 373 Males: 832 International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 5
Positive Discrimination • Is a process that search for temporarily addressing a specific inequality by focusing on the rights of the discriminated individuals or groups in society, in a particular situation and in an enforceable way. These measures are only means towards realization of equality in order to address inequalities, but do not necessarily make equality in themselves. They can be only short term measures. • With regard to gender equality in the higher education area, positive discrimination and affirmative action methods can result in structural changes concerning equality and facing the under-representation to some extent. International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 6
Measures of Raising Awareness with Regards to Cultural Gender-Based Preferences Endorsing friendly gender policies at the legislative and governmental levels helps to make a framework against discrimination that can be removed. The same framework affords the support for the development of an equality orientated society although this entails a level of re-education to encourage a change in the way of thinking. Equality legislation may be useful in leading to social transition which eliminates any form of discrimination. Equality legislation as a whole should always be framed in such a way that the goal is to create equal opportunity throughout society. International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 7
• Creating an effective center for gender studies where it follows up the teaching of related curricula at schools and do other corresponding missions. This might increase the awareness of gender-based equal opportunities at the social level. • Encouraging the development of gender diploma at the universities level. • Cooperating and networking with all organisations that work for more equality agenda. This could be through work and partnership with local, national and regional organisations to identify the problems, find and implement solutions to face discrimination in higher education , International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 8
Future Plans (1) Establishing the following offices: (a) Equal Opportunities Office (EOO), (b) Gender Equality Office (GEO), (c) Ombudsman Office (OO) (2) Publishing the handbook of equality management at the Jordanian universities (3) Executing girls day for females students (4) Implementing mandatory university requirment course: Introduction to Femenist Theories (5) Executing the strategic plan for center of women‘s studies. (6) Working through change by exchange DAAD - supported projects for gender equality that includes MENA Jordanian universities with cooperation with Egyption and Tunisian universities. International Conference, Cairo - Egypt, 1 - 3 November 2014 9
Thank You 11
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