The Prejudiced Attitudes of University Students Towards Women

Abstract

This research aims to examine the traditional stereotypes and prejudiced attitudes towards women in the Jordanian society among students of Al-Hussein Bin Talal University. A questionnaire was used and distributed to a random sample of 425 students at the university. The findings showed that the most common and highest ranking stereotypical sentiments among university students were: “women represent the family’s honor”, “women are not fit for physical work”, “Women are meant to remain home, and that their primary role in life is doing house chores”. These stereotypes are associated with the socio-cultural perception of the female body; which further contribute to the discriminatory stance against women. Furthermore, the findings reveal that university youth still perceive women as fragile creatures, unfit for leadership, and thus they are inferior to males; which renders them notionally unworthy of the right to independence and personal freedom. These prejudiced attitudes reflect the notion of custodianship applied by the whip of conventional culture in conservative societies over the body, movement, and personal freedom of the woman; hence depriving her from some civil and political rights.