Jordan

Jordan shares borders with Israel and the West Bank, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, and has a small stretch of coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba. Population in 2009 was estimated at 6.3 million. According the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan ranks 86 out of 179. The Index's Gender-related Development Index (GDI) ranks Jordan as 79. The GDI ranking translates into a life expectancy of 73.8 years for Jordanian women and a female adult literacy rate of 87 percent, with a compelling 99 percent female youth literacy rate. At the education level, the primary enrollment ratio for females is 96 percent, the secondary enrollment ratio is 88 percent, and the tertiary enrollment ratio is 40 percent.

In recent decades, reproductive health care for Jordanian women has improved significantly. Such improvements have translated into 99 percent of women with access to antenatal coverage care, 100 percent with access to skilled birth attendants, and 97 percent with access to institutional deliveries. Over the past three decades, fertility rates have dropped considerably due to urbanization and increases in female education. In 1970, fertility rates were 7.9, decreasing to 5.5 in 1990, and dropping to 3.2 in 2006. Improved access to reproductive health services has also improved the maternal mortality ratio; as of 2006, 62 deaths were reported per 100,000 live births. Over her lifetime, a Jordanian mother-to-be has a 1 in 450 risk of maternal mortality.

Islam is the religion of the majority in Jordan, and it is within this context that childbearing and marriage are seen as the most important display of one's faith. The minimum age for marriage is 18 for both men and women, and the average age for first marriage is 25.3. In 2006, there were 59,335 marriages (10.0 per 1,000 population) and 11,431 divorces (1.9/1,000). The family is considered the nucleus of Jordanian society, and a married woman's value is often placed on her ability to produce children. The use of contraception within Jordan is only allowed within the context of marriage. According to the Jordan Ministry of Health Department of Statistics, 100 percent of women of childbearing age (15–49 years) were aware of modern contraception. The contraceptive prevalence rate for married women aged 15–49 is at 56 percent, an increase over previous years. Abortion is illegal except when the mother's life is in danger.

Mothers in Jordan are not allowed to pass their Jordanian citizenship on to their offspring should their spouses be non-Jordanian. Many children born to Jordanian mothers and non-Jordanian fathers find themselves in a legal limbo with regard to their citizenship and identity should they choose to live in Jordan. As of 2003, 750,000 Iraqi refugees have fled into Jordan, many of whom are women with children. Not recognized as refugees by Jordan, many mothers are the sole breadwinners for their families and are often placed in the difficult position of having to rely on charity. Many reproductive health options for displaced Iraqi women in Jordan, while available, are reported to be unaffordable or difficult to access.

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