Family Violence Including Crimes of Honor in Jordan: Correlates and Perceptions of Seriousness

• NCJ Number: 188132
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 7 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2001 Pages: 586-621
• Author(s): Sharon K. Araji; John Carlson
• Date Published: May 2001
• Length: 36 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study describes university students' perceptions of the seriousness of family violence in Jordan, including crimes of honor and, within constraints, identifies demographic and attitudinal factors associated with these perceptions.

Abstract

Data were extracted from a comprehensive survey of a stratified random sample of 625 students attending 2 major universities in Jordan during the spring of 1995. If students' perceptions accurately reflect an underlying reality, it is clear that family abuse is common in Jordan, as it is in other countries around the world. As past research demonstrates, abuses against women are the most prevalent types. Past research points to social class as influencing variations in family abuse. In the current study, curvilinear relationships show the complexity of these associations in developing Muslim countries such as Jordan. Although more research is required to explain the specific nature of the relationships, it is clear that social class, defined either from a specific nuclear family, the extended family, and/or the tribal association, is a critical factor associated with students' perceptions of the seriousness of family violence in Jordan. Female students, compared to male students, were most likely to perceive family abuse as a serious problem and also to express concern about finding a spouse who will respect and treat them well. Although the findings support some variable correlations found in Western societies, they do not concur with other findings, thus confirming the importance of conducting cross-cultural studies of family violence. Students' perceptions of family abuse lend support to Jordanian academics and advocates who contend that family abuse in Jordan is a serious problem that should spur social and legal reforms. The variables included in the study, however, explain only about 20 percent of the variation in students' perceptions of family violence in Jordan, indicating that important factors are yet to be identified; further research is needed. 4 tables and 55 references