Abstract
This study aimed to identify the social, economic and health characteristics of Jordanian families headed by females and the differences in these characteristics according to the gender of the head of the household. To achieve this aim, the study utilized data available from the multipurpose family survey conducted by the Department of Statistics in 2003. The survey targeted a national sample using cluster stratified sampling. The number of completed interviews reached 9,711 families. Comparative method was also used to identify the differences between Jordanian families according to the gender of the head of the household.
 
 The study revealed that a number of traditional factors determine whether a family would be headed by a female such as the death of the spouse, especially as a result of the age gap between the husband and wife, economic migration of the husband, and divorce. In addition, the study showed that the social and economic characteristics of Jordanian families were largely homogenous regardless of the gender of the head of the family especially concerning such issues as poverty, family income, and access to health insurance. On the other hand, there were differences in size and the level of education of the head of the family, largely determined by place of residence, governorate of residence and age among those households and among the ones headed by females. The significance of the study stems from the fact that it is a national study that will open new horizons for more in-depth future studies.
Highlights
Jordan is a developing country in the Middle East and is classified as an Arab country with medium human development (United Nations, 2016)
The main factors that lead to female headship have been identified as widowhood, divorce, the economic migration of the husband, the incarceration of the husband due to criminal acts or political reasons, the unemployment of the husband because of his lack of necessary skills, age or disability, being an unmarried working female in a family where other members are either unemployed or disabled, being abandoned by the husband, or the disappearance of the husband especially during times of war or conflict (ESCWA, 2001)
The results of this comparative study indicate that there is a serious need to review the definition of female headship to reflect its varied dimensions and its measurement in national surveys and studies
Summary
Jordan is a developing country in the Middle East and is classified as an Arab country with medium human development (United Nations, 2016). The objective of this study is to identify the social, economic, and health characteristics of Jordanian families headed by females and the differences in these characteristics according to the gender of the head of the household. Since the 1950s, a number of studies documented family female headship in many developed and developing countries (Lof, 1999; Rogan, 2016). The United Nations’ definition of female headship refers to such concepts as the financial responsibilities borne by the female head of the family, the making of crucial decisions, management of the economic affairs of the family, or being the main breadwinner (ESCWA, 2001). The main factors that lead to female headship have been identified as widowhood, divorce (in which cases the female member of the family lives either alone or with her offspring in her home, or with her extended family), the economic migration of the husband, the incarceration of the husband due to criminal acts or political reasons, the unemployment of the husband because of his lack of necessary skills, age or disability, being an unmarried working female in a family where other members are either unemployed or disabled, being abandoned by the husband, or the disappearance of the husband especially during times of war or conflict (ESCWA, 2001)
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