Women's Dress in Jordan

This is an extract from "Women travellers in the Middle East" [http://www.jordanjubilee.com/travelme/women.htm]

Correct dress : it is important to cover your knees (a calf length skirt or loose trousers) and the tops of your arms (a tee shirt or something with cap sleeves is fine). Obviously no bare midriffs, and no tank or halter tops or shorts. You don't need to cover your head - except from the sun. You can relax this rule a bit at the main tourist sites like Petra, but don't relax it too far. Just remember that wherever you are, the more you show, the more you are going to get looked over. It would be utterly stupid to resent any leers if you are scantily dressed BY LOCAL STANDARDS and remember always that these are not necessarily the same as your own! I think I don't need to say that the beach, especially a private beach, is quite different.

Blending in : you are going to stand out anyway. Watch the way the Arab women walk in public and you will see that it is quite different from you. Don't worry, behaviour is the most important. Don't hesitate to denounce (loudly!) any undue familiarities, they will almost certainly stop immediately. Don't worry about hurting anybody's feelings by a refusal, the guys know what is correct behaviour better than you do, and will not normally resent it, however disappointed they might be personally!

The key point is indeed "the more you show, the more you are going to get looked over," so it is actually yourself who makes the rules ("How much can you endure?"), not Jordanian society. Most male Jordanians are also impeccably polite, so if you walk past a shopkeeper in a mini-skirt he may look at you suprised, but will likely treat you with great respect (probably still mixed with curiosity) if you then talk to him as a buying customer. Obviously, gangs of teenage lads may be somewhat less civilized in their behaviour!

I have seen foreign women in Jordan who "violate" the dress code in a deliberate act to expose the hypocrisy of these rules and the widespread discrimination of women in the Islamic world. That may sound childish to some, or irresponsible, or ineffective - but some women do this after careful consideration and with considerable background knowledge of gender in the Islamic world, so I feel that rebellious attitude deserves respect.

On a practical note, just take different clothes with you. That way you can always change your appearance if you feel like it. As Ruth said, this will also enable you to adapt to different locations.

Very helpful, thanks!

My wife and I visited Jordan a couple of years ago and I have traveled in most Middle Eastern countries numerous times. Ruth, above has given you excellent information which cannot be improved.

For descriptions and photos of our visit to Jordan see the "Jordan & Egypt" section of Our Travel Journals: http://www.evcal.org .