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UPPSALA UNIVERSITYDepartment of GovernmentDevelopment StudiesBachelor thesisSpring semester 2011
THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENTGOALS IN JORDAN
From a Gender Perspective
Author: Sara Rang
Supervisor: sa Lundgren
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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this essay is to find out the status of the development progress to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Jordan and if womens situation has improved
since the MDGs were adopted. The data that has been used to describe this development hasbeen derived from the UNs Millennium Development Goals reports.
The result of this study is that education in Jordan has greatly improved and the goal that
deals with this has already been achieved. The other goals are not yet achieved although the
goals regarding maternal health and combatting HIV/AIDS could potentially be reached by
2015. When it comes to the gender aspects it can be seen that progress is made on all targets,
however there is still a long way to go.
Women have been given better access to education and health and are entitled to vote in both
the national and the municipal elections. If the remaining gap between the sexes is to be
reduced, future policy has to encourage and prepare women to become more involved in
decision making in the country.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 42. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................. 63. PURPOSE AND METHOD ................................................................................. 84. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ..................................................................... 105. ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................... 12
5.1.GOAL 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger ....................................... 125.2.GOAL 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education......................................... 145.3.GOAL 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women ........................ 165.4.GOAL 4: Reduce Child Mortality ............................................................... 175.5.GOAL 5: Improve Maternal Health ............................................................. 185.6.GOAL 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases ........................ 20
6. RESULT ............................................................................................................... 227. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 248. REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 25APPENDIX ............................................................................................................... 27
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1. INTRODUCTION
It was in September 2000 in New York, where the worlds leaders gathered to adopt the
Millennium Development Goals which was set to be achieved by 2015. There are eight goals
which will provide concrete benchmarks for tackling extreme poverty, and include issues suchas poverty, hunger, maternal and child mortality, diseases and gender equality.
Each country has specific needs for development. The poverty in the world will, if the
goals are achieved, be cut by half. This would mean that tens of millions of lives would be
saved in addition to billions of more people having the opportunity to benefit from the global
economy.1
There are no regions in the world of today, where women have equal legal, social andeconomic rights as men. Gender differences in access to and control over resources, economic
opportunities and power and political voice are widespread.Women in most countries today
still have less access to social services and productive resources than men. Still, women are
largely underrepresented in national and local assemblies. In national parliaments, women
have less than 10 percent of the seats on average.
Although there are gender inequalities worldwide, there has been progress since 1975,
when the first World Conference on Women held in Mexico City. Gender inequalities ineducation and health have in many parts of the world declined, but some countries in the
world have significant shortcomings in terms of equality. There has also been progress in
recognizing the overall characters of gender issues and their impact on development
efficiency and the reduction of poverty. There is now a common understanding within the
development community that development policies and measures that do not take gender
inequality into account and the differences between men and women are less effective2.
Jordan is a small country with limited natural resources and with a semi-dry climate. The
country's total area is 89.300 square kilometers and only 7.8% of the surface is arable land.
Jordan is situated in Asia and connects to both Africa and Europe which has played an
important role in shaping the country's both ancient and recent history. The country's official
name is The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and it is a constitutional hereditary monarchy
with a representative democratic government3.
1
UNDP, what are the Millennium Development Goals?2 World Bank, Gender Equality & The Millennium Development Goals p 43 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 3
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It is interesting to look at the MDGs from a gender perspective in Jordan since it is a peaceful
country in a conflict torn region of the world which gives it several development challenges
ahead4. At the same time it is interesting to look at one of the economically most successful
countries in the region to see if it will achieve the goals in time. When it comes to gender equality
Jordan has a tradition of discrimination and repression of women like most other Middle Easterncountries. Since gender equality is lagging far behind in the region it is interesting to look at the
possibilities for a relatively modern country like Jordan to achieve the MDGs.
4 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 3
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2. BACKGROUND
According to the Millennium Development Goals report from 2004, since 1989 all political
elements in Jordan have embarked together with the purpose of achieving democracy,
liberalization and consensus. The biggest step was that women got a better access to educationand health. Progress was not as good in the areas of economics and political participation and
also in some legal rights, where women are far behind men. In other words, when it comes to
life experiences, measuring of life expectancy and educational attainment the distribution
between men and women is unequal5.
The biggest challenge for the country is to manage the financial impact its increased
population. During the 1970s and1980s the population growth was 3.8% before declining to2.1% in 2009. The difference between Jordan and other developing countries is that Jordan
has had an influx influx of forced displacement of populations from nearby conflict areas. It
began with Palestinian refugees in 1948 and 1967, were followed by hundreds of thousands of
Jordanian and Palestinian expatriates from Kuwait that returned to the country in 1990, and in
recent years influx of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. These factors have contributed to
doubling the country's population twelve times during the past sixty years. In parallel with
this increase in population poverty has over the past three decades emerged as a centralproblem and challenge for the country6.
The first report on the MDG of Jordan arrived in 2004 which made it apparent how far the
country had come between the years 1992 and 2002. In addition it also showed what the
progress would look like in 2015 when the goals will be achieved.7
The eight goals are global and can be divided into 16 targets and 48 indicators. The year
1990 has been put as a point of departure for the goals and how the objectives will be
achieved is very much up to the individual countries and how dedicated they are. The goals
are:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger2. Achieve universal primary education3. Promote gender equality and empowerment of women4. Reduce child mortality5
UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 3f6 UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 187 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 1
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5. Improve maternal health6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases7. Ensure environmental sustainability8. Develop a global partnership for development8
When the first Arab Human Development Report came out in 2004, it identified the lack of
gender equality as one of three major shortcomings in terms of human development in the
area. However in some respects Jordan has made substantial gains in terms of gender equality.
Among other things, the countrys Constitution protects women's equal rights and also the
rights to access essential services has been heavy promoted in the country. Many girls also
feel discriminated against and would like to have a greater voice in the choices they make,
many are even afraid that their parents will not let them to go to school because of economicand social causes.9 The differences between men and women in homes and workplaces show
that male mobility is higher than female mobility. It is women who have the responsibility to
raise the children as they usually work in the home10.
8
UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 29 UNDP, Jordan Human Development Report 2004 building sustainable livelihoods p 810 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 2
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3. PURPOSE and METHOD
The research questions that will be address in this essay are:
- What is the status of the MDGs 1-6 in Jordan?-Have womens situation improved since the adoption of the MDGs?
The purpose of this study is to describe the development progress in Jordan, with a specific
focus on the situation for women. There are only four years left until the goals have to be
achieved and gender issues have become more important than ever. I will not test whether any
theory is true. Instead I will see if the data shows any link between the gender issue and
development. This essay is thus a descriptive essay. I will use the available documentation on
the progress of the MDGs as my main source of data.
I chose to look at Jordan since it has not had any conflicts since 197511 although it is located
in an area surrounded by conflicts (Palestine and Iraq) which give the country several
development challenges ahead12. Thereby it is one of the few countries in the area that is
meaningful to study and which provide the necessary data. In addition, Jordan has the
potential to achieve the goals. Since gender equality is lagging far behind in the Middle East it
is interesting to look at the possibilities for a country in this region to achieve the MDGs.
Jordan is a country with a tradition of gender inequality, but the economic performance hasbeen good.
I have chosen the period 2002 to 2010, because the country's first MDGs report came in
2004 and had 2002 as a reference point and baseline for tracking the development. In 2010 the
second report came which demonstrated the development since then and what has to be done
for these goals to be achieved in time.
Im going to look at goal 1 to 6, since they are dealing with both female and male
situation. The last two goals of the MDGs are more about abstract values where goal 7 is
about ensuring environmental sustainability and goal 8 is about developing a global
partnership for development. These two goals focus on cooperation which is very difficult to
measure and therefore I have chosen not to include these in my study.
To find an answer to my questions I'm going to use Jordans reports on the MDG from 2004
and 2010 which were made in cooperation between the Government of Jordan and the UN
11Uppsala Conflict Data Program (2007) Uppsala Conflict Database, Uppsala University12 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 3
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country team. The concern is if the government is giving an impartial account of what is
really going on in the country. Since the government of Jordan has helped finance the
documents they could have had a chance to influence their contents. This can affect the
outcome of this study since it could convey a more positive result than what is actually the
case. Nevertheless I have not found any indication that shows that the figures in the twodocuments have been fabricated or altered. I have therefore decided to rely on the data in
these reports.
However, there are differences between the two reports that cannot be compared directly. One
explanation may be that in the first document from 2004 they chose to use already existing
indicators without regard for the specific requirements of the MDGs. While in the second
document they have adapted the data to show the differences between men and women. I havetaken note that the figures may not be comparable and I have tried to be cautious of this.
In addition to the MDGs report I have also used the UNIFEM document making change
happen, which is about the goals from a gender perspective. I will also use Janet Henshall
Momsen's book Gender and Developmentand also the World BanksGenderEquality & the
Millennium Development Goals.
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4. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Gender equality does not necessarily mean equal numbers of men and women or girls and
boys in all activities, nor does it mean treating them in the same way. It means equality of
opportunity and a society in which women and men are able to lead equally fulfilling lives.
The aim of gender equality recognizes that men and women often have different needs and
priorities, face different constraints and have different aspirations13.
Janet Henshall Momsen writes in her book Gender and Developmentabout how women and
men are affected in different ways when it comes to the process of development. Gender-
based disadvantages often increased through the introduction of capitalism, which in turn
leads to the modernization and restructuring of subsistence and centrally planned economies.This leads to the modern state taking over many of the economic activities by which women
used to earn a living for themselves and their families, such as preparing food and making
clothing. These tasks are often time consuming and by giving women the freedom to find
other paying jobs the economic situation for women could be improved. However, a majority
of the new and better jobs, which often relate to new technology, usually goes to men. This in
turn leads to making it more difficult for women to support the family and it is known that
men spend less of their income on the family than women do
14
. In the Middle East, womencannot take a paid work or travel without a written permission from their husband or father15.
One of the eight MDGs focuses specifically on women's empowerment and promoting gender
equality16 although all the goals involve important aspects of women's welfare and
empowerment of women is crucial to achieving the targets on time17. Gender inequality is still
pervasive in the world which tends to lower labor productivity but also efficiency. The
division of labor within households intensifies the unequal distribution in the economy. This
results in non-monetary aspects of poverty, lack of security, opportunity and empowerment
which reduces the quality of life for both men and women. The largest and most direct costs
of these inequalities are paid by women and girls although the costs basically reduce the
progress of the whole society which prevents development and poverty reduction18. Thus, the
13 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 214 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 115 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 216
Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 917 UNIFEM, Millennium Development Goals18 World Bank, Gender Equality & The Millennium Development Goals p1
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gender issue is very relevant in order to be able to achieve all the Millennium Development
Goals whether it is to protect the environment, sustainable development or to allow universal
access to health care. This is because the MDGs are mutually reinforcing and thus influence
the development in all sectors. When a goal is achieved it also means progress in other goals.
If there is success in many of the objectives it will therefore have a positive impact on genderequality, while progress towards gender equality will contribute to other objectives19.
19 World Bank, Gender Equality & The Millennium Development Goals p3
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5. ANALYSIS
5.1. GOAL 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day. This goal seeks
to reduce the number of people that live on less than $1 per day, but also that the difference
between rich and poor should decrease20. This goal is also about halve the proportion of
people who suffers from hunger21. Im going to look at the economy in the country,
proportion of population below the poverty line and compare poverty between female and
male-controlled households.
Jordan's economy grew during the 1970's and continued to grow in the 80's which led to theimprovement of health, education and social indicators in the country. In the mid 80's poverty
was insignificant. However, this came with an inadequate effort and was not sustainable in the
country. When the Country Poverty Assessmentfor 1987 was published in 1989 it estimated
that the proportion of the population living in extreme poverty was 2 %. This can be seen in
comparison to the poverty assessment, which came in 1993 where it was assessed that the
proportion living in extreme poverty was 6.6 % of Jordanian households. Many of the poor in
Jordan are unemployed. These people take jobs that are often temporary or causal in theinformal sector. In Jordan there is a strong correlation between household size and poverty
and there is a regional perspective on poverty. Around three-quarters of the population live in
urban areas and this is also where two-thirds of the poor can be found22.
The government in Jordan has taken a major initiative which is addressed to the poor part of
the population, through a range of actions that are recommended in the Jordan Poverty
Alleviation Strategy (JPAS). The government has also introduced a Family Income support
model which aims to provide poor households with help to get out of poverty, although veryfew of the poorest households qualify for this benefit.23 However, the governments own
review of the process of the reforms which was made between 2002 and 2004 shows that it
was worse than expected, which made the donor assistance undermine the Capacity of the
Country to implement the development program as they wished. Many poor people had hope
that the government will provide access to essential services such as primary healthcare,
20 UNDP, Millennium Development Goals21
UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 922 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 623 UNDP, Jordan Human Development Report 2004 building sustainable livelihoods p 5f
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education and NAF (National Aid Fund) cash assistance. But many poor people also need to
become aware of their own rights and even demand these rights from the government.24
The economy in the country has been weaker than expected25, which can be seen since the
real GDP per capita during a five period, only has grown from $3,450 in 1997 to $4,129 in
2002. This is an increase of nearly 20 %, but that is not enough since the standard of livinghas not improved significantly over time.26
When it comes to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, Jordan has in the last decade made
a successful attempt to achieve the goal27. In 1992 the proportion of families whose per capita
daily income is less than $1 per day was on 6.6 %. This figure fell in 2002 to 4 % and in 2008
(as there is no data for 2009) the figure had fallen to an impressive 0.25 % although it is
believed that the figure will increase and a target of 3.3 % has been set for 2015.
28
Jordan has made good progress to succeed in reducing the number of people who are
suffering from hunger. However, there is a lack of data on this issue, which means that the
country presents a broad picture of the situation that cannot be compared with the
international measures of hunger.29 What I found in Jordan's first report on the MDGs from
2004 is that they speak only about the situation for children since children suffer most if the
family cannot get enough food. In Jordan the number of underweight children under 5 years
dropped from 4.4 % in 2002 to 1.9 % in 200930. It should be noted that girls suffer from
higher rates of stunting and mal-nourishment because of the attitudes and norms that favor the
education of males over females but also the tradition of feeding males before females in the
family31.
When it comes to gender and poverty it is shown that women tend to be outside the
community and this is the group which find it hardest to cope32. If you look at the economic
participation it shows that men participate more than women, the same when you look at
unemployment since there are more women than men who are unemployed33. According to
Janet H Momsen this has the general effect of making households run by women among the
24 UNDP, Jordan Human Development Report 2004 building sustainable livelihoods p 5f25 UNDP, Jordan Human Development Report 2004 building sustainable livelihoods p 226 UNDP, Jordan Human Development Report 2004 building sustainable livelihoods p 227 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 728 UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots29 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 930 UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots31
UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 932 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 733 UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 22
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poorest since there are fewer adults who work than in the households run by men, especially
since women tend to earn less than men34.
5.2. GOAL 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
"Ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a
full course of primary schooling35
. I will look at Jordan's education system and how many
children that are going to school. I will also look at how many men and women that are
continuing on to higher education.
This goal states that all children regardless of gender should be able to go to school. In Jordan
primary education is compulsory and free by law and school extends to a period of 10 years.In 1987 a national conference was held to develop education and an education law was
enacted in 1988, which changed the public education system with the following:
A non-compulsory two-year kindergarten stage for the 4-6 years age group. A compulsory ten-year primary education (elementary and preparatory) for the 6-16
years age groups.
A non-compulsory two-year secondary education stage for the 16-18 years age group
composed of two concentrations, either a comprehensive secondary education orvocational training and preparation36.
A priority in the provision of education in Jordan is the concept of a knowledge-based
economy but also empowering people to meet the challenges of globalization. As part of the
program to restructure and reform the education sector, the Government is providing
computer laboratories in schools and has also made computer education compulsory at all
educational levels. Jordan has prioritized the provision of education and therefore focused on
building classrooms and new school buildings, computerizing education and increasing the
number of trained teachers. Progress in the education sector has been steady and the total net
enrolment rate was in 2001 at 92 %37 which rose to 97.6 % between 2008 and 2009. This goal
has thereby already been achieved38.
34 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 4435 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p1436
UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 1437 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 1438 UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots
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Looking at this goal from a gender perspective it is desirable to improve conditions for girls in
schools but also other things such as the lack of female teachers that can be seen as role
models for young girls and to provide a safe transportation to school for girls39. This is
something Janet H Momsen is talking about in her book. The issue is that women have a
lower education than men because of the absence of transport between home and school,which makes it dangerous for women to travel to school.
Gender equality has in general been achieved in primary and secondary education where
the enrolment rate in basic education is 97.8 female students per 100 males in 2009/2010, on
secondary education the figure is 110 females per 100 males. When it comes to
secondary/academic stream, the figure was 118 women per 100 males in 2009/2010. The
biggest challenge lies in getting poor women to enroll in vocational training were the figure is
65 women per 100 men. This may be because there is a widespread culture in the countrywhich "prefers an academic training rather than vocational education" but also the lack of
vocational training schools close to female students' homes, making it difficult for female
students to reach school40.
When it comes to female to male ratio in Jordanian Universities and community colleges
across various major specialties41, you can see that more women are choosing community
colleges than men do. However also in humanities and state universities there is a high
number of female students, while more males choose scientific specialties and private
universities than women42. In Jordan, the number of men and women in basic education has
increased from 86.7 % in 1990/1991 to 97.6 % in 2008/2009. The figure for women during
the same period is 86.9 % to 97.7 % and for men 86.5 % to 97.5 %. This shows that the
country has made significant progress in providing universal primary, secondary and higher
education.43
39 UNIFEM, making change happen, 2010 p 240 UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 4741
UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 4842 UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 4843 UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 33
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5.3. GOAL 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
"Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and in
all levels of education no later than 2015,"44
combined with proportion of seats held by
women in national parliament45.I will in this section look at women's access to healthcareand how many women there are in the parliament. This goal also deals with education
however that is something I will not bring up again since it was discussed under the previous
goal.
Goal 3 deals with gender equality, which is not that easy to measure. The indicators for
Jordan are within the target if we disregard the proportion of women in parliament. According
to Jordan's Constitution, all Jordanians are equal before the law and the state. This ensures theright to work and education for all citizens, even if it does not indicate equality on grounds of
sex. Jordan has over the past four decades made a great stride to provide basic services for all
citizens in the country. Since the 1960s there have been remarkable progresses in education
for both men and women. There have also been steady increases in the budget for higher
education and also extended compulsory education.
What can be seen is that women's access to education and health has improved although it
has not improved in the same extent when it comes to economic and political participation.This also applies to certain legal rights. With regard to life expectancy and educational
attainment these are equally distributed between men and women even if their share measured
by GDP shows that the distribution is less equal than other indicators show.46 In Jordan,
women should have the opportunity to get better paying jobs since they are now studying on
an advanced level to a larger extent than men. However, they do so in areas which are not as
economically rewarding as the ones dominated by men.47.
Over the past twenty years women in Jordan has extended their political rights. For example
they could vote in national elections for the first time in 1974 and in municipal elections 1982,
however they were allowed to attend for the first time as both voters and candidates in
elections held in 1993 and 1997. When it comes to the election in 1997 no women were
elected to the House of Representatives. This had the effect that a large number of women
44 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 2045
UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 4546 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 2047 See appendix 2 and 3
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activists and their supporters renewed their demands for introducing a quota system, which
was introduced before the elections in 2003. This resulted in six seats out of 110 being
awarded to women. In the house of notables the number of women increased from one in
1989, two in 1993, to three 199748. According to Janet H Momsen
At the beginning of the third millennium most of the worlds population is living more
comfortably than it was a century ago. Women as a group now have a greater voice in both
their public and private lives49
.
5.4. GOAL 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate50
. In this goal Iwill look at both under five mortality rates and the infant mortality rate.
Jordan has addressed the problem of child mortality by opening new child care centers for
mothers and children and allowing these centres to carry out several vaccinations programs
against infectious diseases such as measles, hepatitis and tetanus. In addition information
campaigns and sponsorship of programs in school health has also been undertaken. Through
statistical institutions the Government supports the development by regularly conducting bothpopulation and family studies in health in order to be able to plan information campaigns as
well as give information to more people and by that bring down child mortality. The available
data show that the infant mortality rate (IMR) during the period 1990 to 2002 decreased by 35
% and over the same period the mortality of children under 5 years decreased by 31 %. Infant
mortality (children who die before 1 year of age) decreased from 34 per 1000 children in 1990
to about 22 per 1000 children in 200251. In 2009 this figure had risen to 23 per 1000 children
in the country.52 The children under 5 mortality rate declined from 39 per 1000 births in 1990
to 27 per 1000 births in 200253 and in 2009 this figure had risen to 28 per 1000 births54.
Since this goal is about reduced child mortality there is no expressed gender aspect but to
achieve it, it is necessary to prioritize the care of mothers with the adequate nutrition and care
during pregnancy and childbirth which may prevent that three out of the four million children
48 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 2249 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 450 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 2851 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 2852
UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots53 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 2854 UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots
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die during their first four weeks of life. Once again womens education is central since it is
seen as an important factor for decreasing infant mortality. The reason for this is that educated
women are more eager to ensure that their children are vaccinated and they are better
informed about their child's nutritional needs. Furthermore, mothers that have an education
and are literate are more inclined to read up on the health problems and are also able toexplain their childs symptoms to the doctor. Moreover, they are more likely to provide their
sick children with treatment earlier than if they were not literate or had an education. All these
mechanisms can reduce infant and child mortality in a country55.
5.5. GOAL 5: Improve Maternal Health
Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratioIf there isaccess to effective contraception one of three maternal deaths in pregnancy or childbirth
would be avoided.56 I will in this goal look at maternal health in general in Jordan.
This is one of the most important elements regarding reproductive health in Jordan. The
National Population Strategy (NPS), deals with fertility and maternal and child health care
with the aim to achieve parity between population growth and the resources that exist in
society. This should lead to sustainable development which consequently improves theeconomy and the prosperity in the country.
Jordan has developed a paper on population policy, which includes a number of goals which
are equal to the MDGs. The data that the Ministry of Health has collected shows that the
maternal mortality rate has fallen from 48 cases per 100 000 births in 1990 to 41.4 cases per
100 000 births in 1996. There is no data for 200257 but in 2009 it had continued to decline to
19 cases per 100 000 live births.58 The data also indicate:
An increase in the percentage of women who received medically qualified supervisionfrom approximately 87 % in 1990 to an estimated 98.6 % in 2002.
An increase in the number of deliveries in a health facility from about 87 % in 1990 to93 % in 1997 and 96.6 % in 2002.
An increase in the number of pregnant women who received at least one dose of the55 UNIFEM, making change happen, 2010 p 256
UNIFEM, making change happen, 2010 p 357 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 3458 UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 67
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tetanus vaccine during pregnancy from 24 % in 1997 to 33.4 % in 2002.
An increase in the median age at first marriage for the age group 15-49, from 19.6 in1990 to 21.5 in 1997 and 21.8 in 2002.
An increase in the median number of months of spacing between deliveries from 24 in1990 to 25.5 months in 1997 and 30.1 months in 2002
59
. A drop in the number of young mothers (age group 15-19) who have one or more
children, from 5.3 % of the total number of mothers in 1990 to 3.5 % in 1997 and 2.8 %
in 2002.
An increased use of contraceptive methods for women in the 15-49 age groups, from40.2 % in 1990 to 52.6 % in 1997 and 55.8 % in 200260.
By tracking this problem and educating health professionals the country has already surpassedthe indicator of 90 % of births taking place in healthcare facilities. When it comes to maternal
mortality the complications after birth played a large role in the slow progress in the control
of maternal mortality according to The Population and Family Health Survey 2002. The
biggest challenge to bring down maternal mortality is the lack of knowledge among expectant
mothers and how they return to their own life after giving birth61. However, if you look at the
proportion of deliveries attended by a skilled health personnel it has remained steady at 99 %
both in 2002 and 200962.
Janet H Momsen is talking about the educational impact on maternal mortality but also the
ability of women to work as an opportunity to reduce maternal mortality63. She also talks
about poverty and its impact on mortality since poor women suffer more than women with a
good economy does. Poor women have a lower social status which makes it difficult for them
to make the right decisions when it comes to health care and in connection with, for example,
pregnancies64.
59 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 3460 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 3461 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 3562
UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots63 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 2564 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 76
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5.6. Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS65 and [] the
incidence of malaria and other major diseases66
. It has been shown that HIV/AIDS is
spreading twice as fast among uneducated girls as among girls with even some schooling67. Iwill look at HIV/AIDS in general in Jordan but also how it affects women and men
differently. I will also look at the malaria situation in the country and finally what the other
most comment diseases are.
The health care system is considered to be excellent in Jordan and since the 1970s it has
greatly been improved. Among other things, the government is sponsoring a health insurance
program which allows all, even the poorest, to afford medical care and there are free clinics inthe country for those without insurance. This insurance does not only cover the cost of
medical care but also dental and eye care. In Jordan there are 86 hospitals which are improved
year after year. The health services in Jordan has a high proportion of medical staff if you
look at it per capita, it is 28 doctors, 10 nurses and certified midwives for every 10 000
Jordanians. This is the result of a consistent policy conducted by the Government and the
Ministry of Health which provides access to medical care for the entire population.
In early 1986 the first case of AIDS was found in the country. It resulted in a nationalJordanian AIDS program that was established by the Directorate General for Primary Health
Care. Then a national organization was formed to monitor all national activities related to
AIDS.68 The country has a very low HIV prevalence and they have only identified a few cases
of AIDS, in 2003 334 cases including 67 deaths was reported to the National AIDS program.
Of these cases about 60 % occurred among non-Jordanians. Of all individuals with HIV
nearly 60 % is between 20-39 years of age. The main cause of HIV transmission is sexual
activity.69
The increasing awareness of HIV/AIDS is compromised when it comes to issues such as
transfer channels, causes, treatment and prevention which are considered taboo in the country.
However, the Ministry of Health does efforts to raise awareness but there must be more
concerted efforts in the wider community to make sure the high prevalence does not become a
65 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 4066 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 4267
UNIFEM, making change happen, 2010 p 368 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 4069 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 40
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problem in the future70. The HIV/AIDS prevalence can be positively linked with economic
status which can be seen as the general relationship between income and health. However,
women are biologically more susceptible to infection than men. Among other things, some
empirical evidence regarding HIV/AIDS indicate that the transfer from male to female is two
to five times higher than it is from female to male. Women with HIV/AIDS can transmit thedisease to their children through pregnancy71. In Jordan, the statistic for causes of HIV/AIDS
transmission for 2009 shows 60 % for sexual transmission and from mother to child the
number is 4 %72.
When it comes to care for a sick family member the burden is on women. In addition to the
household economy getting worse by the need to pay for medicine for the sick and providing
a burial there is also a falling number of income generating family members when a personbecome sick or die in the HIV/AIDS epidemic73.The spread of AIDS and other epidemics can
be reduced if women gain greater economic independence which can increase their bargaining
power and in turn reduce the risk of being sexually exploited74.
During the first half of the 20th century malaria was considered to be one of the most
widespread diseases in the country and represented a major cause of death. This caused
Jordan, in 1959, to introduce a program that aimed at eradicating the disease and in 1970 the
result was achieved with great success and the country was then free from malaria until 2000.
In 2001 124 cases of Plasmodium Vivax and Plasmodium Falciparum, was discovered among
59 235 blood samples which was collected through an epidemic survey. In the case of
tuberculosis the figure has fallen from 14 per 100,000 in 1990 to 7 per 100,000 in 200275 that
figure had dropped in 2009 to 6 per 100,00076. However, diseases that are considered as non-
infectious have caused a strain on healthcare in the country. The most common disease in the
country is cancer. Among men lung, colon, bladder and prostate cancer are most common and
for women breast cancer is the most common. Heart attacks, cancer and traffic accidents are
the three most common causes of death in the country77.
70 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 4171 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 84f72 UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 7773 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 8974 UNIFEM, making change happen, 2010 p 375
UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 4276UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots77 UNDP, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004 p 43
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6. RESULTS
The results of this study indicate that the country is on track to meeting most of the targets.
The goal they have succeeded with is goal 2 concerning education although also improving
maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases are possible to achieve.However, there are difficulties and decisive measures are needed to achieve the goals
concerning eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality and empower
women and reducing child mortality. These three are still major challenges that hinder the
country from making progress. A major cuse is the impact of the global economic crisis
which affect Jordan's economic growth, foreign debt, state income and unemployment.
According to the UNDP report what is needed is a holistic approach that should be adopted to
achieve these goals on time78
.
Jordan is on track to achieve the goal to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger but there is still
much work to be done, mainly because of the economic crisis which means that the economy
is not growing as it should. This leads to higher unemployment and the number of people
living under the extreme poverty line is increasing79. No difference can be seen between men
and women in this field. The goal to achieve universal primary education has already been
reached. Looking from a gender perspective, it is apparent that mothers with at least a coupleof years of schooling are more likely to let their children go to school. This shows that
education is important. More women than men continue to study at a higher level than before,
however they are usually studying at community colleges or state universities.
In the case of promoting gender equality and empowerment of women there is still much to
do before the goal is achieved. Among other things, Jordan is far behind when it comes to
allowing women the same rights as men, although they have achieved some political rights.
The gender gap can be reduced if future policy is focused on continuing to encourage and
prepare women to become more involved in the decision-making process80.
Infant mortality affects both boys and girls although it can be seen that boys survive to a
greater extent than girls do. In the case of Jordan there have only been small improvement
related to the goal of reducing child mortality. Significant challenges need to be addressed in
the process of achieving this goal which is implausible precisely because of the economic
78
UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots79 UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots80 UN, Keeping the Promise and achieving aspirations, 2010 p 49
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crisis. In addition education is important. We can see that educated mothers are more likely to
both vaccinate their children as well as takes their children to the hospital faster than mothers
with no education do. They are also more receptive to information about what is best for their
children.
When it comes to improving maternal health Jordan is close to reaching the target and it ispossible that the target will be achieved by 2015. Especially when the "maternal mortality per
100,000 live birth" and proportion of deliveries attended by a skilled healthcare personnel
shows good figures. Since this goal is about maternal mortality, it can be seen that womens
situation have improve since they now have access to trained health personnel and that new
mothers are beginning to follow up after childbirth, which has resulted in lower mortality
rates.
When it comes to the goals to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, the country has
still a chance to meet the target however there are still milestones to be achieved81. No
improvement can be seen in the situation of women although it has not become worse either.
Women who have the HIV/AIDS virus also run the risk of transferring it to their unborn
children. Women are taking a greater care of sick family members than men do which
deteriorates the family's economy.
81 UNDP Jordan, Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots
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7. CONCLUSION
Jordan has already achieved the goal about education, while it is possible to achieve improve
maternal health and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. At the same time there
has been a backlash in the development in certain goals which could be related to theeconomic crisis but also the situation in the region given the many conflicts that currently
prevails in the area. These two aspects can be seen as crucial to how Jordan will manages to
achieve the other goals.
The World Bank report Gender Equality & the Millennium DevelopmentGoals states that the
MDGs are closely connected and if you succeed in one goal the achievement of the remaining
goals is facilitated. We can see the evidence of this in Jordan. The greatest achievement thatJordan has done has been in the field of education which is a common theme for all the goals.
The country has achieved the goal of universal primary education and is now on track to
achieve the goals in the field of maternal health and combating diseases. Education works as a
catalyst in this case. There are also other connections in play. As regards the combat of
HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases there is a connection between the aspect of gender and
sexual health clearly since women are more likely to get the virus from a man than a man get
the virus from a woman. In this case the empowerment of women would facilitate theachievement of this goal. In addition, according to Janet H Momsen there is also a connection
between gender equality and all the other goals. Achieving greater equality in education
depends on the success of counteracting inequality in other dimensions, mainly in "economic,
political, social and cultural life82. The spread of AIDS and other epidemics can be reduced if
women gain greater economic independence which can increase their bargaining power and in
turn reduce the risk of being sexually exploited83.
Looking toward the future there are plenty of areas that could be of interest for further study.
It would be interesting to compare Jordan's development in the Millennium Development
Goals with any of the other countries in the region to see how far they have come in regards to
the goals, especially after what is happening right now in the area. It would also be interesting
to do a follow-up study in 2015 to see what has happened and what goals Jordan has achieved
in time.
82 Henshall Momsen, Janet, , Gender and Development p 1083 UNIFEM, making change happen, 2010 p 3
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8. REFERENCES
Literature
Henshall Momsen, Janet, 2004, Gender and Development, Routledge, USA
Articles
UN Jordan, 2010, Keeping the promise and achieving: Aspirations Second National
Millennium Development Goals Report Jordan 2010 . English version can be downloaded
from http://www.undp-jordan.org/uploads/publications/UN_1292424706.pdf
UNDP Jordan, 2010,Millennium Development Goals in Jordan snapshots based on Jordans
2010 Second National Millennium Development Goals Report. http://www.undp-jordan.org/index.php?page_type=pages&page_id=390&templateID=0
UNDP, 2004,Jordan Human Development Report 2004: building sustainable livelihoods .
Can be downloaded from
http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/national/arabstates/jordan/jordan_2004_en.pdf
UNDP, 2004, The Millennium Development Goals Jordan report 2004. English version, canbe downloaded from http://www.undp-jordan.org/uploads/file/JordanMDG2004.pdf
UNDP,Millennium Development Goals: Accelerating progress goal 1
http://www.undp.org/mdg/goal1.shtml
UNDP, what are the Millennium Development Goals? http://www.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml
UNIFEM, 2010, Gender equality now: Accelerating the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals . English version can be downloaded from
http://www.unifem.org/attachments/products/GenderEqualityNow.pdf
UNIFEM, 2010, Millennium Development Goals
http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/millennium_development_goals/
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Uppsala Conflict Data Program (2007) Uppsala Conflict Database, Uppsala University
http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=83®ionSelect=10-Middle_East#
World Bank, 2003, Gender Equality & the Millennium Development Goals. can be
downloaded fromhttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGENDER/Publications/20169280/gendermdg.pdf
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APPENDIX
GOAL 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Poverty indicators in Jordan
selected years
Some hunger indicators
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GOAL 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Target : Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to com-plete a full course of primary schooling
Indicators1990-
19911994-
19951999-
20002004-
20052007-
20082008-
2009
Total Net Enrolment Ratio in PrimaryEducation (NERs) 86.7 91.43 96.2 97.6 97.6 97.6
Basic education NERs, by sex
Basic and secondary school enrolment ratios: female to male
Female to male ratio in Jordanian universities and community colleges across various
major specialties
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GOAL 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Female participation in upper and lower houses of parliament
Percentage of women representation in various leadership positions
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GOAL 4 Reduce Child Mortality
Trends of child mortality rates and immunization against measles
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GOAL 5: Improve Maternal Health
Maternal Mortality Trends and Proportion of Deliveries Attended by skilled health
Personnel
Trends of the reproductive health indicators
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GOAL 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
Target 1: Have halted by 2015 and reserved the spread HIV/AIDSTrends for indicators to halt the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and its treatmentIndicator 1990200220092015Proportion of population aged 15-24 years with sufficient knowledge
about and prevention of HIV/AIDS (%) -- 72 -- 100Proportion of PLHIV with access to drugs (%) 100 100 100 100
Causes of HIV/AIDS transmission in Jordan, 2009
TB incidence rate per 100,000 in Jordan, 1990 to 2009
Trends of the prevalence rates of Malaria, TB and other major epidemic diseases
