Trends of the Palestinian Refugee Camps Community in Jordan towards Women's Work
Rafiq A. Khirfan, Directorate of Planning and Projects, Department of Palestinian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amman, Jordan.
Abstract
The study aims to identify the trends of the Palestinian refugee camps community in Jordan towards women's labor by identifying the social, religious and economic aspects of this labor along with identifying the job’s environment and the obstacles against women's work due to sex, place of residence, age, and educational level. The study sample consisted of (244) inhabitant of camps, and the data that was collected, has been processed statistically using statistical packages of Social Sciences processing program (SPSS).
The descriptive and analytical statistical approach was used to answer the questions and hypotheses of the study through a questionnaire designed to collect information and data from the community of study. Finally, the data were analyzed.
The study shows positive trends towards women's work from social and economic aspects, but the main problem remains as working women face some obstacles which can be sumarized as follows:
· The right place for women to work; there is a preference to work inside the camp, and in the public sector.
· The environment of work such as the reservations to mingle with men, long working hours, and the preference of one period in the morning.
· Low saleries, especially in the private sector.
· Limited professions due to the control of men and the culture of shame.
The research results also show theoretical and practical importance, because of their valuable benefits to all Palestinian refugees stakeholders in terms of policies and plans related to women's work as shown in recommendations, being the first study performed in camps taking into account the trends towards women's work.
Key words: Woman's work, Obstacles, Palestinian refugee camps, Jordan.