Progress Amid Resistance

194 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAabuse cases by medical workers and law enforcement bodies. Genderbasedviolence, nonetheless, remains a serious concern, and women maybe severely beaten, or even murdered, if they disobey their male familymembers or commit an act deemed “dishonorable,” such as socializingwith an unrelated man.While Jordanian women now largely enjoy legal equality on issues suchas their freedom of movement, health care, education, political participation,and employment, they still suffer from discriminatory statutes like thenationality and citizenship law, which bars them from passing Jordaniancitizenship to their spouses or children. Women also face gender-based discriminationin family laws, in the provision of pensions and social securitybenefits, and on the societal level due to deeply entrenched patriarchalnorms. These legal obstacles, combined with domestic violence and traditionalsocietal restrictions on the scope of female employment and propertyownership, have prevented many women from fully participating inthe economy or achieving financial independence. Divorced women, theelderly, and widows are most likely to experience poverty and deprivation,and they are often forced to depend on relatives, friends, or welfare support.Women have continued to be politically active over the past five years,exercising their civic voice in a variety of ways. They have assumed highlevelgovernmental positions in greater numbers, gaining appointments asministers and lawmakers with increasing frequency. An average of threeministerial portfolios has been assigned to women in each cabinet since2004, and a gender-based quota system, first introduced for the lowerhouse of parliament in 2003, was expanded to municipal councils in 2007.General political environment and legal restrictions on freedom of as -sembly and association have had an impact on the activities of women’sgroups and their ability to advocate for reform. The Public Gathering Law,though amended in 2008 to allow groups to hold internal meetings withoutprior approval, still requires government approval for demonstrationsand “public meetings,” including workshops and trainings. Additionally,the new Societies Law enacted in September 2008 places restrictions oncivil society funding sources and permits the government, rather than thejudiciary, to try local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for allegedviolations of the law. The measure sparked fierce debate throughout Jordan,with women’s rights activists complaining that it would allow the authoritiesto closely monitor and interfere with their activities, including by placinggovernment officials on their boards. 3 Activists convened a number of