Amman, October 25 (Petra) - The Jordan Economic Forum (JEF) said reduction of the gender gap reflects a human rights entitlement and a "fundamental{ development and economic driver that contributes to improving "efficiency" of the national economy and increasing its productivity.
The JEF noted the Global Gender Gap Index 2025 showed the global gap closure rate reached 68.8%, while Jordan recorded 65.5%, ranking 3rd at the pan-Arab level after the UAE (72.4%) and Bahrain (68.4%).
The JEF's announcement came in its paper , themed "Jordanian Women and Equal Opportunities: Jordan's Performance in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025," within the framework of supporting the national development process and strengthening the Kingdom's position in international indicators related to gender equality and women's empowerment.
Regarding national trends, the forum affirmed in a press statement on Saturday that Jordan has demonstrated a "tangible commitment" over the past decade to narrowing the gender gap, both under women's empowerment strategies and by incorporating this goal into the Economic Modernization Vision and sustainable development programs.
In this context, the Ministry of Social Development's strategic plan for the years (2022–2026) demonstrated a "clear" commitment to raising women's participation in development to 27% by 2025, as well as integrating the concept of gender into institutional policies and protection and care programs.
The forum noted these efforts are "gradually beginning to be reflected in Jordan's performance on the gender gap index, as the overall index recorded 0.593 in 2014, rising to 0.655 in 2025." This situation reflects a gradual improvement, thanks to the rise in Jordanian female enrollment rates in higher education and the expansion of their participation in the education and health sectors.
However, the forum stated economic participation and political empowerment remain "major challenges." Jordanian women's labor market participation rate remains among the lowest regionally, while political representation remains limited despite legislative improvements, particularly the legislative quota.
Regarding political reforms, the forum explained that Local Administration Law No. (22) of 2021 marked a "significant" turning point by raising women's representation in local and regional councils from 10% to 25%, reflecting the state's commitment to expanding women's participation in decision-making positions.
Meanwhile, the Political Parties Law of 2022 reads women must comprise no less than 20% of the founding members of any political party, which enhances women's presence in party structures.
The JEF noted the 2024 legislative impact assessment study on women's participation in political life showed "positive" results, as the percentage of women participating in Jordanian political parties reached approximately 44% in 2025, representing a "tangible" development in the political empowerment path.
The forum called for continued reforms to the Kingdom's business environment by expanding the social protection umbrella, and encouraging women's entrepreneurship, all of which are "essential to accelerating the gap reduction and achieving a qualitative leap in the index." On the index sub-axes over the past decade, the forum said performance has been "uneven." In the educational attainment axis, the index exceeded 0.97 in 2014, reaching 0.99 in 2025, which reflected Jordanian women's superiority in education. In the health axis, the index rose from 0.94 in 2014 to 0.956 in 2025, indicating a relative improvement in healthcare services and equal health opportunities between the sexes.
As for the economic participation and opportunity axis, the index ranged between 0.50 and 0.55 over the decade, settling at 0.552 in 2025. Conversely, the political empowerment axis showed some improvement, but remained at "modest levels," rising from 0.07 in 2014 to 0.12 in 2025.
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