investigating wife abuse through the lens of feminist theory and resource theory in jordan

315 Pages·2015·1.64 MB·English

NO REDRESS? INVESTIGATING WIFE ABUSE
THROUGH THE LENS OF FEMINIST THEORY AND RESOURCE
THEORY IN JORDAN

Reem Bashir Abdul Rahim Atiyat

PhD

University of York
Women’s Studies
October 2015
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Abstract
This research investigates wife abuse in Jordan. Several studies have been
conducted on this phenomenon in Jordanian culture. Yet, the effect of particular
nushuz-related aspects of the law, as promoting specific forms of violence, on
women’s experiencing wife abuse, the effect of family intervention on women’s
reporting wife abuse, in addition to the effect of Muslim clerics’ assistance on
women’s reporting wife abuse are aspects of wife abuse that have not been
addressed. In dealing with these issues, I draw on resource theory, feminist
theory, and the empirical data I gathered from interviewing Jordanian abused
women and lawyers specialized in wife abuse issues in Jordan in 2012.

Empirically, a qualitative approach was utilized to explore the reported
experiences of the women. This included semi-structured interviews, in a few
cases questionnaires and legal records I accessed after contacting lawyers
specialized in resolving wife abuse-related issues in Jordan. Interviews are rarely
conducted in Jordan because wife abuse victims are hard to reach and because
interviewing is regarded as intruding into the personal sphere which is protected
by law. I address four key issues in my thesis: a) the forms of wife abuse that
were reported by my research participants; b) the cultural acceptability of wife
abuse in the light of the participating abused women’s parents’ intervention to
stop this phenomenon; c) the legitimizing of wife abuse in Islam and the role that
Muslim clergy play in combating wife abuse as reported by my research
participants; and d) the role of lawyers in assisting the women who took part in
my research.

Physical violence was the most reported form of wife abuse among my
participants in Jordan. The second most reported form of wife abuse was verbal
abuse, emotional abuse the third, and financial abuse the least reported. I highlight
a particular form of wife abuse that is not often investigated in western and non-
western research on wife abuse which is in-law-perpetrated violence. I also argue
that consulting religious clerics is not an effective measure to stop wife abuse.
After exploring the effects of the predominant patriarchal cultural values in
Jordanian society that legitimize and maintain wife abuse, I argue that the Islamic
values that prohibit wife abuse must be reinforced by legislation that criminalizes
wife abuse and penalizes its perpetrators. Finally, this research stresses the
necessity to modify the provisions of the Jordanian Law of Personal Status1 as the
ambiguity of its provisions caused some of my research participants to experience
law-enforced abuse.

1 See Appendix 1 on the content of the Jordanian Law of Personal Status.
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List of Contents
Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... iii
List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... vii
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... viii
Author’s Declaration ............................................................................................................................... x
Chapter 1 : Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 2 : Literature Review .............................................................................................................. 23
2.1 Domestic Violence: Definitions and Forms ....................................................................................... 24
2.2 Forms of Wife Abuse That Are More Commonly Practiced in Non-Western Countries .................. 29
2.3 The Prevalence and Patterns of Wife Abuse in Jordan ...................................................................... 35
2.4 Factors Affecting Domestic Violence against Women ...................................................................... 39
2.4.1 Factors Affecting Intimate Partner Violence against Women and Wife Abuse in Western and
Non-Western Countries............................................................................................. 39
2.4.2 Intimate Partner Violence against Women: Factors that Are Particular to Non-Western
Societies .................................................................................................................... 42
2.5 Theoretical Views on Wife Abuse ..................................................................................................... 68
2.5.1 Wife Abuse and Resource Theory ................................................................... 70
2.5.2 Feminist Views on Domestic Violence ............................................................ 73
2.6 The Socio-Cultural Position of Women in Jordan ............................................................................. 80
2.7 The Role That NGOs and Feminist Activists Play in Raising Individuals’ Awareness to the
Unacceptability of Wife Abuse and Women’s Increasing Access to their Rights ................................... 87
2.8 Limitations Surrounding the Provision of Assistance to Abused Wives in Jordan ........................... 91
Chapter 3 : Research Methodology ...................................................................................................... 95
3.1 Research Design ................................................................................................................................. 96
3.2 My Feminist Perspective .................................................................................................................. 115
3.3 Gatekeepers ...................................................................................................................................... 119
3.4 Attempting to Find Appropriate Organizations to Facilitate the Research Process ......................... 123
3.5 Meeting the Victims ......................................................................................................................... 128
3.6 Approaching and Interviewing Abused Women .............................................................................. 133
3.7 Interviewing Lawyers ...................................................................................................................... 144
3.8 Analysing the Data ........................................................................................................................... 147
Chapter 4 : Forms of Wife Abuse and Factors Affecting the Research Paticipants’ Disclosure .. 153
4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 153
4.2 Factors Affecting Women’s Disclosure of Wife Abuse Amongst the Participating Women .......... 155
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4.3 Forms of Wife Abuse in Jordan and Amongst the Participating Women ........................................ 158
Chapter 5 : Familial Intervention to Stop Wife Abuse amongst the Participating Women ......... 185
5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 185
5.2 The Interviewed Women’s Families’ Interventions and Assistance in Response to Wife Abuse. .. 186
5.3 The Complexity of the Legitimacy of Wife Beating as a Form of Wife Disciplining in Islam ....... 193
5.4 Feminist Criticism of Qur’anic Interpretations Legitimizing Wife Beating in Islam ...................... 196
Chapter 6 : Clerical and Legal Intervention to Combat Wife Abuse in Jordan ............................ 200
6.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 200
6.2 Conditions that Legitimize Wife Disciplining in Islam in the Light of Traditionalist and
Progressive Interpretations of the Holy Quran ...................................................................................... 201
6.3 Consulting Muslim Clergy or Sheikhs ............................................................................................. 205
6.4 Jordanian Women and Wife Abuse Related Laws ........................................................................... 209
6.5 Marriage Dissolution in Islam and the Negative Effects of Men’s Solely Having the Right to
Initiate Marriage Annulment .................................................................................................................. 215
6.6 The National and International Laws Related to Discrimination against Women ........................... 220
6.7 Abused Women in Jordan, Lawyers, Jordanian Wife Abuse-Related Laws and the
Recommendations of CEDAW .............................................................................................................. 225
Chapter 7 : Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 229
7.1 Significance of the Research Findings ............................................................................................. 230
7.2 Research Limitations ....................................................................................................................... 239
7.3 Suggestions for Further Research .................................................................................................... 240
Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 242
Appendix 1: Articles from the Jordanian Law of Personal Status ......................................................... 242
Appendix 2: Timetable of Research Activities ...................................................................................... 248
Appendix 3: Interview Questions .......................................................................................................... 249
Appendix 4: A Story about Wife Abuse in Jordan that Was Used to Encourage the Women to
Participate in the Interviews ................................................................................................................... 250
Appendix 5: Respondents’ Demographic Details. ................................................................................. 251
Appendix 6: Respondents’ Marriage Arrangements .............................................................................. 252
Appendix 7: In-law Intervention ............................................................................................................ 254
Appendix 8: Onset of Abuse .................................................................................................................. 255
Appendix 9: The Participants’ Main Source of Marital Conflict ........................................................... 257
Appendix 10: Parental Support .............................................................................................................. 258
Appendix 11: Clerical Assistance .......................................................................................................... 259
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Appendix 12: Lawyers’Assistance......................................................................................................... 260
Appendix 13: The Protection from Domestic Violence Law (2008) ..................................................... 261
Glossary of Arabic Terms ................................................................................................................... 266
Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................... 267

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List of Tables
Table 1: Jordanian Men and Women’s Economic Activity Rates for Population Aged 15+ (%) from
1979-2013. ................................................................................................................................. 81
Table 2: Jordanian Women’s Voting Rates. ................................................................................ 82
Table 3: Forced Early Marriages in Jordan (2005-2013). ............................................................. 85
Table 4: Women’s Rights in Jordan. ........................................................................................... 90
Table 5: Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia. ................................................................................. 90
Table 6: Locations and Numbers of Research Participants................................................................130

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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the women who courageously challenged the prevailing norms
governing gender relations in Jordan and took part in my research. I would also like to
thank my family: my late grandfather, my parents, aunts, cousins and friends who
surrounded me with love and encouraged me throughout the past three years. Although
my words do not seem to be enough in terms of showing how grateful I am, but thank
you late grandfather for making the dream of my life to come back to the UK come true.
Thank you my late grandmother; for wishing me the best of luck before I left Jordan and
for thinking of me always. I promise I will always try my best.

Mom, you always had faith in me, taught me how important it is to be persistent and
patient, which definitely was a tough job for you, knowing the quick-tempered person
that I am, and most importantly taught me how to be organized. Although I hated having
to make my bed before going to school every day, I must admit that being forced to clean
my room finally became a habit of mine and that came in handy. Thank you for all your
prayers and love. Dad, thank you very much for your support. I appreciate every single
thing you did to help me when I was facing issues related to my scholarship. And to my
role model, Dr. Ibrahim Sbeih, the brilliant neurosurgeon and most kind-hearted soul in
the world, I hope I lived up to your expectations when you told me before I left Jordan:
‘You are like a daughter to me and my daughter, referring to me, can always do whatever
she puts her mind to’.

I owe a great deal to my supervisor Professor Gabriele Griffin, whose encouragement,
punctuality, valuable academic comments and expertise guided me and enlightened me
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throughout my research. I am proud to have known such a knowledgeable scholar like
you. You simply have an answer to every question. Thank you for being patient and
understanding. Thank you Dr. Ann Kaloski Naylor, my former supervisor, for
introducing me to the wholly new academic life at York and for being so kind to me,
especially when I was home-sick.

I would also like to thank my friends and housemates Ragavan Nithiyanantham, Trisha
Liu, Sohaib Jamali, Priyanka Teeluck, Dima Al Malahmeh, Dana Kakeesh and Amani Al
Sarhan. You guys are amazing in every way. I will never forget the wonderful birthday
dinner you arranged for me, our laughs and crazy moments. Thank you, Dr. Wuroud Al
Awamleh and Dr. Kamal Al Awamleh for giving me a home in the UK and guiding my
way when I needed it the most. David, Berryl, Fadi and Lauren, thank you for being my
second family in Leeds. And I owe David and Fadi a special thank you for bearing with
me during my ever-lasting migraines and my insomnia haunted nights.

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Author’s Declaration
No portion of the work referred to in this thesis has been submitted in support of an
application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other
institute of learning. I declare that this thesis is a presentation of original work and I am

the sole author. All sources are acknowledged as References.

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