Debating the Role of Patriarchy in the Incidence of Gender-based Violence in Jordan – Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Patriarchy continues to thrive in Jordan where malecontrolled values are still entrenched in a society that is suffering from upsetting percentages of Gender-based Violence (GBV). This paper is a systematic review of the literature with an attempt to evaluate and interpret all available research evidence relevant to determining the extent to which patriarchy contributes to the occurrence, re-occurrence and continuation of GBV against women in Jordan. Twenty-one (21) full-text articles were selected for the indepth review due to meeting the established criteria for inclusion. (81) percent of articles included primary data while (19) percent included secondary data. Analysis of data was based on a specific extraction form that was developed using the "Excel" to respond to the main goal of the paper. Interpretation of data was built based on theoretical explanation of different feminism schools to the relationship between patriarchy and gender-based violence against women. Findings show that (33) percent of the selected articles affirm that the patriarchal standpoint best explains the incidence of gender-based violence in Jordan. Apart from the limited number of articles that were found debating this argument and the low percentage of articles that acknowledged the role of patriarchy in the incidence of gender-based violence in Jordan, this paper breaks the ice to implement future empirical studies on this subject. Also, it is an invitation for all Jordanian women to unite their efforts in order to eradicate all forms of victimization against them.