gisw13_chapters

– when desperate Tunisian young people used newmedia in challenging a police regime. The wind ofthe Arab Spring has reached Libya, Egypt, Yemen,Syria and Jordan.However, Jordan has been hesitant to make adjustmentsto its policies and implement changesto manage the new situation, and has also tried tokeep control over new media. The country amendedits constitution in 2011 in response to demands forpolitical change; but in response to the new mediainfluence, the government tried to pass new lawsto control the new “technology for freedom”. ThePress and Publication Law constitutes the principaltool used by successive Jordanian governments tocontrol the press. Law No. 18, 1998 was amendedthrough Law No. 17 in 2011, which expanded thedefinition of “publication” to include “electronicmeans, digital or technical”. This means that newswebsites are considered newspapers and the Pressand Publication Law is applicable to news websites.Officials also use the “carrot and stick” approachinter alia to interfere in web news content.One of the carrots is advertisement, and there aremany examples of how government officials use a“soft containment” policy to control the press. 14Nevertheless, political news websites are flourishingin Jordan because “old media” is consideredless free in reporting corruption and the wrongdoingsof the government. There are more than 500political news websites; 40 of these sites haveformed a union.ConclusionsJordan has fallen to 121st place out of 135 countriesin the Global Gender Gap Report for 2012. The countrydropped four places following a decrease in thescores for the economic, education and politicalsub-indexes. 15Closing this gap will change the future of women– gender parity can no longer be treated as asuperfluous concern. 16 To overcome the challenges,the Jordanian think tank institute SIGI-Jordan 17 suggeststackling three types of poverty that impact onwomen: a poverty of knowledge, a lack of availableopportunities, and skills poverty.The first step to overcome gender imbalanceis deciding to do something about it. The internetis not only a means of communication, but a toolto support democratisation and development. It isalso a vital tool for connecting people and actingas a forum for exchanging and sharing opinionsand ideas. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter all offera forum where information and materials are exchangedbetween millions of users daily.In repressive societies, the internet providesnew channels for voiceless minorities and vulnerablegroups who have been deprived of access to themeans of public communication. As the World Bankputs it in a report on gender equality in the Arabworld: “Sitting on the sidelines waiting to be invitedin is no longer an option... The sooner women havean equal opportunity to contribute, the sooner theregion will benefit from this vast, untapped humanpotential.” 18It is clear that ICTs are important tools for bridgingthe gender digital divide between men andwomen, and can play a vital role in women’s empowerment.Democratisation will not be achievedwithout freedom of expression. Pluralism and diversitymeans many voices and not a one-note chorus.Recycling discourses to satisfy donors and improvetheir corporate image at home and abroad is notsustainable.Action stepsIt is time to take into consideration the followingsteps in Jordan:• Explicit efforts are necessary to create opportunitiesfor women in the public sphere and tofacilitate greater participation by women in thepolitical realm. This is a prerequisite to fosterwomen’s participation in politics.• New media are part of the information societyand offer a huge opportunity to consolidatedemocracy and to promote development.The internet is a simple and cheap medium forcommunication and education and a vital toolin fighting for gender equality and defendingwomen’s rights, as well as ensuring that marginalisedand vulnerable groups are not subjectto discrimination. Internet access is an essentialhuman right for every person in Jordan.• ICTs can empower women in achieving social,cultural and economic development. NGOs areencouraged to offer training to women in ruralareas, particularly in the use of social media,such as blogging, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.■14 www.alarrabnews.com/newsView.php?id=117015 www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf16 www.weforum.org/women-leaders-and-gender-parity17 www.sigi-jordan.org/pages/index.php?news=33518 www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/03/14/missingvoices-gender-equality-in-the-arab-world158 / Global Information Society Watch