An amendment to add the female noun for Jordanian citizen to the section of Jordan’s constitution dealing with the guarantee of equal rights for all citizens passed on Sunday, days after discussion of constitutional reforms, including gender equality, led to a brawl among lawmakers on the floor of the parliament.
The constitution previously referred to citizens with the male plural when referring to a group of both men and women, which is standard in Arabic. Under the new amendment the constitution will refer to Jordanian men and Jordanian women, The New Arab reported.
The amendment was a recommendation from the political modernization committee formed over the summer by King Abdullah. It will not provide more protection to women from discrimination based on gender. Jordan’s parliament is set to vote on additional constitutional amendments this week, including reform of the electoral system.