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Dr. Amal Sabbagh
Jordanian
National Commission for Women
Evaluating the Status of Woman in Context of the Copenhagen Summit:
Jordan as a case study
Dr. Sabbagh reviewed the status of Jordanian
women in context of Commitment Five of the Copenhagen Summit Declaration.
The presentation made reference to the achievements of the Jordanian
woman in social, economic, political and educational fields as well
as the pertinent legislation and laws. The general obstacles that
deter the advancement of the status of the Jordanian women were
also addressed.
Dr. Sabbagh recommended that it be a high
priority to link the implementation of the Copenhagen Commitments
and those made at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing,
in 1995. It is important that these government obligations are addressed
and that the representatives of civil society present at this forum
work with the relevant bodies within their national governments
to ensure that a gender perspective is retained in the design and
implementation of national policies.
In particular, Dr. Sabbagh drew attention
to the problems of illiteracy amongst women and how this reduces
women’s ability to participate at a higher level in the labour
market. She recommended that steps be taken to improve the access
to education for girls and to ensure that the provision of universal
education is of a high quality. Dr. Sabbagh also pointed out problems
of women’s access to the labour market and how this affects
their status within society. It was important for governments to
ensure that women have equitable rights in the workplace so that
they do not have to face discrimination in promotion and in levels
of salary. It was also noted that the important roles played by
women in the agricultural and informal sectors were often not adequately
recognised as productive work.
It was also particularly important to ensure
that women are adequately involved in political life as well as
involving women in decision making on both public and family levels.
Dr. Amal
Sabbagh is the Secretary General of the Jordanian National Commission
for Women. She has held positions within the Ministry of Social
Development in Jordan and was Director of the Regional Centre for
Agrarian Reform and Rural Development in the Near East (CARDNE).
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