Economic Abuse of Women in Amman, Jordan: A Quantitative Study

Abstract

As the literature on the economic abuse of women in Arabic contexts is quite limited, we aimed to detect the correlation between this economic abuse and a variety of demographic variables. Specifically, we considered women’s age, education, income, number of children, and length of marriage, as well as the husband’s education and employment status. We distributed questionnaires that included the economic, psychological, and community composite abuse scales to 500 married working women in the capital of Amman, Jordan. The results revealed that the economic abuse of women decreased as their education levels and length of marriage increased, as long as the husband worked full-time. In addition, a husband’s high education level would also increase the likelihood of economic abuse. Most importantly, the findings showed that economic abuse definitively heightened the probability of intimate partner violence (psychological, emotional, and physical abuse, as well as harassment).