Innovations in the SDGs: Fostering a Feminist Economy in Jordan with JoWomenomics

Spotlight on JoWomenomics : Advancing Gender Equality through Equitable Development Solutions

In Jordan, since 2014 JoWomenomics (JW) has been championing initiatives aimed at promoting equitable economic and social development for women, dedicating itself to fostering an ecofeminist economy in the country, and advancing the goal of Gender Equality (SDG-5). JW has built several partnerships with local and international NGOs to execute their vision, and apply community dialogue and inclusive participation at the centre of their approach to development, bringing change to thousands of women across Jordan.

JW’s Unique Model: Ficr (Thought) & FPAR

JW applies two unique approaches to their community engagement and development initiatives. First, ‘The Ficr Circle’ approach helps reach the most marginalized by facilitating Ficr dialogues that include local women leaders, key local decision makers, tribal leaders, and families in the processes of fact-building and co-creation. By forming committees, these stakeholders are more able to develop action plans based on valuable context, and can foster an environment more favourable towards a feminist economy.

These dialogues apply the Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) approach to community engagement and development planning, applying multidisciplinary approaches grounded in feminist tenets to ensure theory and action are cohesively applied in knowledge co-creation. JW intersects FPAR with an environmentally conscious lens to ensure it provides a sustainable approach towards advancing gender equality. Since its inception, JW has facilitated 52 Ficr community dialogues, reaching over 4000 community members, encouraging greater acceptance of women’s roles in the public sphere.

Applying Ficr & FPAR: How JW brings transformative impact to Gender Equality in Jordan

JW has applied its approaches to help thousands of women in Jordan benefit from equitable development. In partnership with the International Rescue Committee, JW led the ‘Girls Shine’ training program, reaching over 90 adolescent girls aged 15-17, and 718 Jordanian and Syrian women aged 18-65 with in-person and online awareness sessions on gender-based violence and women’s economic participation. The program also ran ‘green’ employability training schemes for 61 Jordanian and Syrian women aged 18-35, focusing on soft skills and work ethics, helping secure jobs for 40 of those women with partner institutions.

JW has also collaborated with USAID, providing technical assistance on women’s employment and entrepreneurship trainings, encouraging women’s inclusion in market systems and promoting inclusive economic growth in Jordan.

To promote agency and the application of these trainings, JW set up entrepreneurship incubators in Amman and Irbid, Jordan’s two largest cities. Through these incubators, 85 youth have been trained in basic entrepreneurship skills, with 62 receiving need-based grants ranging from $1400 – $6000 to establish youth-led enterprises. They have also provided 210 adolescent girls training on building their entrepreneurship skills, further advancing their goal of sustainable, inclusive development.

JW’s approach extends beyond ground-level, with the organization acting in collaboration with Oxfam to lead the ‘Women’s Voice and Leadership’ project, documenting gender inequalities in the workplace and advocating for safe work environments for women. This advocacy was crucial in bringing about modifications to Jordan’s labor laws 29 and 69, on sexual harassment, and protecting pregnant and breastfeeding women respectively, as well as individuals with disabilities and night workers.

Supporting partnership outreach with WUSC

Under JW and WUSC’s strategic partnership, three new dedicated volunteers have begun work with JW under the Volunteer Cooperation Program funded by Global Affairs Canada. This has helped to support JW’s capacity in grant applications and broadening JW’s reach to international donors, allowing JW’s mission of advancing Gender Equality in Jordan to be pursued globally.

JW’s Vision for the Future

Looking forward, JW intends to implement the Ficr approach in establishing research centers at local universities, serving as dynamic hubs fostering dialogue addressing structural disparities in Jordanian society, and expand JW’s ecofeminist approach into formal educational institutions. Furthermore, JW is currently in the process of extending its impact beyond Jordan and into the wider Middle East and North Africa region, partnering with the King Salman Abdul Aziz Reserve in Saudi Arabia to enhance gender equity within the green job sector.

Join us as we continue to explore innovations in climate action toward the fulfillment of the SDGs at the International Forum. Register today.