Panel discussion held on ‘identity of Jordanian women’

AMMAN — A live panel discussion titled “Who Defines the Identity of Jordanian Women?” was held on Saturday at Manara - Arts and Culture in Jabal Luweibdeh.

The panel session was organised by Diwanieh, which stages public debates to encourage free and open dialogue between youth and decision makers, in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Jordan Office, according to a statement from the organisers.

The discussion was intended to raise questions surrounding the identity of Jordanian women today, what defines it, and the extent at which it is affected by social, cultural, political and thoughtful reality, among others. 

Hala Ahed, a practising lawyer and human rights advocate, and Maysoun Al Otoum, director of the Centre for Women’s Studies at the University of Jordan and an expert on Gender Audit, spoke on the panel.

Ahed said that identity is “a complicated issue”, in addition to being a personal cause that each individual is responsible for, as each individual has their own identity that they wish to be recognised through.

Otoum said that identity is a result of “a social conflict where women are considered a pawn that each dominating part wishes to colour and put their mark on”, leading one to question to which extent can women and even men define and draw the lines of their identities outside the boundaries of this domination today.

The panel agreed on the importance of the role of government, the educational system and the media to create a clear understanding of belonging and the different components that constitute the combination of Jordanian society.