Uncertainty and Resistance in Jordanian Women's Perceptions of their Positionings in Society

Abstract

In many parts of the world, women continue to face issues of inequality and discrimination. While the plight of Arab women for gender equality has gained media attention, fewer studies have investigated the perceptions of Arab women themselves on this issue. In this study, through discourse and content analysis of face to face interviews, I investigated the meanings that Jordanian women made of how the society viewed and positioned them. While the participants were aware of the dominant Discourse that limited women and positioned them as inferior to men, their talk also expressed their resistance to this discourse. A post-structuralist feminist discourse analysis lens allowed for the investigation of competing discourses within the women’s talk. Between the relayed Discourse on women and the participants’ discourse of resistance, a discourse of uncertainty evolved as they struggled to position themselves amidst competing discourses.