The Girl’s Guide to Surviving the Jordan Office

Although Jordan seems to be a fairly conservative place, many women work outside the home and female education levels are higher than in many comparable countries. Many women work out of choice rather than just economic necessity and attitudes to female work are on the whole, positive.

Several sociological studies of Jordan and the region have shown that there is least opposition to female employment when women work in those occupations that are considered traditionally female such as teaching, nursing and secretarial work.

A poll a couple of years ago by Bayt, a major Middle East recruitment website, found that only 59% of women in workplaces in Jordan felt that they were treated fairly compared to their male counterparts. Moreover 26% of working women felt that their gender had affected their career prospects.

Dress code: Although Jordan has no laws regulating the way men and women should dress, it is best to err on the more conservative side in most workplaces. In large multinational and international companies, there should be no problem with wearing knee length skirts and short sleeves however any less and you might attract some unwelcome attention and might make your commute to work more unpleasant unless you drive. Bear in mind that even a work smart outfit such as a skirt suit can draw stolen glances and whispered comments in male-dominated workplaces. But as any girl who has ever worked in any office has known, this is not only a Jordanian problem – and is something that happens in even the most liberal cities.

Other instances of casual sexism (incidentally not limited to just Jordanian workplaces) may be very irritating. But this kind of sexism is rarely intentional and usually stems from entrenched attitudes. As the only female in the group you may find yourself for example designated as the note-taker or asked to make the bookings for a meeting. While this is usually unintentional it should of course not be tolerated.

If you do not wish to formally complain, which might not have the impact you want, suggest an alternative such as rotating tasks to get around the problem, pointing out that these tasks are menial and the duty should be shared. If you wish to make a complaint however, do so professionally and courteously.