Families spent JD1,000 more than they earned in 2015 — NGO

AMMAN — Families in Jordan are each year spending around JD1,000 more than they earn, with a notable difference between families headed by women and families headed by men in terms of average annual incomes and spending, statistics revealed.

Families headed by women on average earn around JD7,193 and spend around JD8,326, while families headed by men earn around JD9,573 and spend around JD10,544, Department of Statistics 2015 figures showed, according to a Sisterhood Is Global (SIGI) statement published on Wednesday.

As for income sources, families headed by women depended mostly on rent and remittances, which made up 62.4 per cent of the total average annual income, while only 34.7 per cent was earned from employment, SIGI said, adding that families headed by men received 48.1 per cent of their income from work. 

The report indicated growing unemployment
among women and a need to enable them economically.

The 2015 population census said there are 1,941,903 families in the Kingdom, excluding around 15,576 families whose data was not completed, with men heading 1,692,662 families and women heading 249,241 families, or 12.8 per cent of all families, SIGI said, noting that women head more families with fewer members. 

Around 41,984 families with three members are headed by women, while only a few hundred families comprising between 10 to 15 members are headed by women. 

SIGI also noted that older women head more families than younger women, with women between the ages of 15 and 19 heading 2,755 families and women aged between 50 and 54 heading 25,889 families. 

SIGI affirmed in its statement that women have a vital and active role to play in maintaining families and their standards of living, and therefore, their access to education, health and labour should be facilitated. 

The statement reiterated that all forms of discrimination and violence should be ended and women’s economical, social, political and cultural participation should be further encouraged, adding that such participation would help in creating stable families and would contribute towards achieving the 2030 UN development goals.