The Role of Jordanian Election and Party Laws in Advancing Political Representation for Women and Youth in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Objective: The study aims to investigate the recent Jordanian Election and Party Laws regarding women and youth participation in political activities and reveal their role in involving those two parties of human resources in the context of good health and well-being and gender equality as two significant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Theoretical Framework: Several legislations have been ratified and enacted to support women and youth in various fields in Jordan to achieve development on the one hand and to meet the international conventions that were enacted to achieve the SDGs on the other hand, such as eliminating all types of discrimination against women. Jordan has strenuously tried to empower women and youth over the past decades. Legalization related to empowering these two elements in political parties and the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) is the most prominent of these efforts. Method: An analytical-descriptive approach was used in this study. To achieve the study objective, the required data was collected depending on the recent laws and regulations concerning women and youth participation in political life in Jordan, in addition to other data that were collected from the previous studies relating to the study topic. Results and Discussion: The results obtained revealed that Jordanian governments have issued laws that guarantee the women and youth's rights to be effectively involved in the political reorientation of political parties and the House of Representatives. However, despite the effort strived by the Jordanian legislator to empower women and youth politically, they have not attained enough rights in this field compared to the developed countries. Research Implications: The study results discussed in this study indicated the persistent need for the Jordanian government to enable women and youth to issue more laws and regulations to expand their involvement in political affairs. In addition, decision-makers in the public and private sectors in Jordan are required to respond to the Jordanian law by increasing the women and youth participation in all work activities. Originality/Value: The study contributes to the existing literature by identifying the up-to-date role that the Jordanian government has played in enhancing the women and youth representation in the political parties and House of Representatives through recent laws and regulations. By manifesting the challenges and obstacles to women and youth empowerment, the study uncovered the responsibility of the government and private organizations how to significantly contribute to those party's development.