Jordanian women have played multiple roles through which they have demonstrated their responsibility and ability to work in all aspects of life. Women have become an active element in advancing development, where participation in work has given them self-confidence and social advancement. The Jordanian Constitution guaranteed their rights and participation in work; thus, they have taken ambitious steps to participate alongside men in all fields, so they succeeded in civil life and at all levels. Since the beginning of the fifties, and by the guidance and care of His Majesty King Hussein, there have been fruitful efforts in enrolling women in the Jordanian Armed Forces and empowering them to have active and realistic participation in building and advancing development. And to take responsibility for defending her homeland alongside her soldier brothers, especially since Islamic Law did not deprive her of that work. Women's success in civilian life motivated military officials in the General Command to make them able to join their ranks. With the guidance and continued support of His Majesty, the Supreme Commander, King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, the role of military women has been activated. They were given sincere guidance in preparing, qualification, and training to carry out their duties, and put them in a place that suits their nature, and give them a hand to overcome difficulties, to be able to bear the burdens of work and perform their tasks competently. The Jordanian Armed Forces were among the leading state institutions to open the doors for women to work alongside men. As we mentioned, women began to perform their first military duties, working in military education schools. The number of females in the military field remained modest; until establishing the Princess Muna College of Nursing in 1962. The first group of female candidates graduated in 1965, which was then eight female recruits. After passing the necessary training, they were awarded the rank of second lieutenant in the Directorate of Royal Medical Services. Since then, the girls have been joining the military service as officers, non-commissioned officers, and civilian employees. The Jordanian Armed Forces have been keen from the beginning to achieve the principle of equality among their ranks of males and females. The Directorate of Military Women Affairs was established to contribute to elevating and developing the role of women in the Jordanian Armed Forces. It focuses on the principle of equality and equal opportunities between men and women in rights and duties by providing them with the necessary training in all areas of military function and assigning them more responsibilities to obtain equal opportunities for excellence in serving the nation. Directorate
of Women Affairs The Directorate of Military Women Affairs was established at the beginning of 1995 to highlight the role of women in the Jordanian Armed Forces and demonstrate its importance. This Directorate has been given all the responsibilities related to advancing the role of women in the Armed Forces. So, since its inception, the Directorate has studied laws concerning women and worked to modify what is needed of them. It developed training and education methods, sharpened the interests and energies of new female recruits, and provided them with opportunities outside the traditional administrative and medical professions to work in new workplaces that were exclusive to men. The Directorate is concerned with developing administrative methods, elevating qualification, improving the quality of performance, and strengthening the discipline of military women in the Jordanian Armed Forces. The Directorate also provides advice to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff concerning military women affairs and training for female members in all its field and military forms. The Directorate participates in the development of the general policies related to women's affairs in the Jordanian Armed Forces to activate the role of women in various military positions and focuses on equal opportunities in promotion and appointment, and supervision and control of their implementation and conduct studies and research to develop working methods. The establishment of a special department dealing with women's military affairs headed by His Highness Princess Aisha Bint Al Hussein was a distinctive achievement that Jordanian women are proud of, giving them a strong motivation to join the Armed Forces as well as frequent visits to women's fields of work for some brotherly and friendly armies to learn about the tasks and duties of qualification and training methods, giving them an extensive experience that influenced the development and activation of the role of women in our Armed Forces and thus was amended by the name of the Directorate of Military Women Affairs to the Department of Military Women Affairs. The military woman has been able to prove her presence to reach her ambition through her work in the Armed Forces Women's areas of work in the Armed Forces: Central Units (General Command and Air Force) In 1973, a number of female university graduates began to be recruited as officers and recruits to serve in the directorates of general command in the following areas: Administrative professions Administration officers Secretaries Writers Computer programmers Information registers Accountants The field of journalism and media. Radio presenter and programmer Directorate of Military Education. Women began working in schools of military education in 1950 as a teacher in schools of military education. Since the beginning of the Arab Army, the founding King Abdullah bin Al Hussein paid special care to education in the Jordanian Armed Forces. The first female school was established under the name of Fatemi Primary School in the early 1950s, which had eight female teachers then, one of whom was a corporal and the other teachers with a lump salary, now known as Al Hussein High School for Girls. It is one of the leading schools in the Kingdom, and with the increasing number of students, more schools have been opened for males and females in various governorates. The role of women working in the Directorate of Military Education has emerged through their work in the following professions: Teacher Educational guide Administrative professions Directorate of the Housing and Military Works Corporation The Directorate of the Housing and Military Works Corporation, has among its ranks, in its branches and units, a group of female engineers, who perform several duties in the fields of engineering: Engineer intern. Field of Studies and Design Construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure facilities Developing integrated studies and producing detailed projects for a number of camps, hospitals, schools and commercial markets of armed forces units. Participation by calculating the quantities of various projects and developing detailed engineering specifications for various engineering works. The work of qualifying contractors and special technical committees for the referral of tenders and the preparation of documents and agreements. Engineering supervision and management of contracts for various Armed Forces projects through field and office work Royal Medical Services. Women's role in the Royal Medical Services has developed, so they accomplished gains and achievements that brought them to the highest positions and held the highest ranks. Currently, they hold many senior positions because they believe in their abilities, capabilities, creativity, and distinguished personality, which have achieved a lot of benefits for our Jordanian Armed Forces and their homeland. Their achievements were pioneering in various disciplines. In 1962, the Princess Muna College of Nursing was established to prepare and qualify Jordanian girls to work in the field of nursing medical services and supporting medical professions. The first group graduated and recruited them as lieutenants in 1965, and at that time there were eight female recruits. Women work in Royal Medical Services in the following areas: A doctor in many specialties (such as general and esoteric surgery and sub-specialties such as cardiology, kidneys, children, nerves, joints, diagnostic radiology, dentists, digestive system, and all specialties) Medical and nursing professions Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy Medical supply and procurement Administration Supporting medical professions Planning and managing medical information Public relations Secretariat, accounting, and information entry Rehabilitation science, physical therapy, occupational therapy, prosthetics, speech therapy, radiology technology, laboratory sciences, medical nutrition, audiogram, optics, medical records technician, psychology, sociology, and dental technician Hospital management Psychology and Social Researcher Field of medical laboratories, diagnostic radiology, and nutrition Field units: #Women work in field units as a company and platoon commander, and trainer and currently work in the following units: Military police Royal Special Guards Royal Military College The Center of Creativity and Excellence Military Sports Union Other areas of women's roles in the Jordanian Armed Forces: Military Judiciary Military security Naval Force Command Military Ifta’a (religious guide and preacher) Directorate of Command, Control and Communications (Electronic Technical Trainers) Directorate of Military Intelligence Air Control and Air Police (Royal Air Force) Navy Royal College of National Defense Royal Supply and Transport Corps /Platoon Leaders Oversees participations Women are currently participating in the various tasks of the Armed Forces outside Jordan's borders, which is reflected in the following participations: Deployment in the Command of the Jordanian Force at the Third Line Hospital Liberia 14 in the profession of nurse. Deployment with the Jordanian force in Afghanistan that began in 2010: Afghanistan force 222, Afghan Force 333 and they worked as trainers in Afghanistan Deployment in the Jordanian force command at the Second Line Hospital Congo 9 as nurses. This participation is a new area of women's work through which they can prove their ability to manage things and deal with different situations. New fields and tasks In line with the new role of women in the Armed Forces, women have been allowed to work in most occupations classified in the Armed Forces, including: Religious guide Calligrapher Photographer TV cameraman Sales controller Musician Engineering technician, sound, lighting/sound and lighting technician Air control Air police Achievements Opening the way for members of the Armed Forces to participate in foreign colleges and institutes, such as joining the British Military College - Sandhurst and the nato,nesa courses, the United States, and other countries. Holding a course for female field officers nominated to serve in the Armed Forces. Involve female officers in the Royal Command and Staff College course and hold the qualification course for female officers to join the command and staff course. Participation of female officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces in peacekeeping forces and field hospitals. Amending many laws and regulations concerning military women, such as maternity leave, the right of both military spouses to benefit from the Military Housing Fund, and amending the instructions for families to accompany military women on foreign visits. The establishment of a women's health care project in southern Jordan. Creating an integrated information system of all females working in the Jordanian Armed Forces Allocating vacancies for female personnel in the Armed Forces as part of the military pilgrimage mission.
Women in the Armed Forces
