In March 2010, Al-Quds Center for Political Studies was contracted to implement the RIPE: Reform, Inclusion, Participation and Equality project, which aims at launching a national debate on the need for increased women's political participation in Jordan while emphasizing the different actions that need to be taken to ensure that.
Prior to launching the town hall meetings, Al Quds center, in cooperation with women leaders devised five different scenarios for increasing women's representation in the parliament. The scenarios, their strengthens and weaknesses were mapped out and presented and discussed in all the 11 town hall meetings held between March and May 2010 in the governorates. Based on the discussions of the town hall meetings the recommendations and suggestions were articulated by Al Quds center in a letter summarizing the outcomes and voicing the recommendations of women from across Jordan to the Ministry of Political Development prior to the issuance of the law.
On June 1st, 2010, and as a conclusion of the project, a one-day national conference brought together around 130 activists and thought leaders, women and men, to discuss the law and means to promote women participation in the upcoming elections.
Among the interesting figures that Al Quds center presented from the results of their 350 questionnaire, ones that suggest that:
- 80% of responding women support the quota system.
- 82% of responding women believe that the number of seats allocated for women at the parliament (6 seats) is small and does not appreciate the Jordanian woman.
- 86% of responding women support the idea of increasing the number of seats, and interestingly enough; among this group, 30.7% proposed a 30% increase in the current number of seats.
