Semester of Graduation
Summer 2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Department
School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Jesse Benjamin
Second Advisor
Maia Hallward
Third Advisor
Anisah Bagasra
Fourth Advisor
Ibtesam Al Atiyat
Abstract
Women’s equal participation in political and public life is vital for a well-functioning democracy and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet global data reveal persistent underrepresentation and a distant path to gender parity (UN Women, 2025). For instance, women hold only 27.2 % of seats in single or lower houses of parliament worldwide (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2025). In Jordan, women held only 11.5% of the seats in the House of Representatives and 10.8% of the seats in the Senate in 2020. Electoral violence against female candidates might be one of the obstacles that decreases women’s political representation in the parliament. Grounded in a decolonial feminist approach and engaging with Johan Galtung’s concept of structural violence, this study aimed to understand the structural causes that contributed to electoral violence against female candidates in Jordan. The research raised the main question: To what extent have structural factors contributed to electoral violence against female candidates who participated in parliamentary elections in 2024 in Jordan? This qualitative study used individual semi-structured interviews with Jordanian former candidates, workers in the Independent Election Commission, feminists and activists in women’s national organizations and NGOs, and members of government and civil society organizations. The research found that electoral violence may take direct or structural forms, and that most former candidates were subjected to it. Furthermore, the study identified social, economic, legal, historical, and institutional factors that contributed to electoral violence—factors which, in turn, were reinforced by broader structures, namely colonialism, capitalism, the nation-state, and patriarchy.
Defense Outcome