International Widows Day draws attention to galvanising support

AMMAN — Jordan and the world will mark International Widows  Day on Wednesday, annually observed on June 23.

The United Nations observes June 23 as International Widows Day, to draw attention to the voices and experiences of widows and to galvanise the unique support that they need, according to the UN website.

Widowed women in Jordan constitute 9.6 per cent of the females above 15 years, while there are more than 258 million widows globally, with 10 per cent of them living in extreme poverty, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

A study conducted by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) in March, surveying a sample of 500 women, revealed that 56 per cent of widows earn no more than JD150 a month, while 43 per cent of them are indebted.

Woman-headed households, according to the Solidarity is Global Institute (SIGI), derive some 30 per cent of their annual income from the head’s earnings — from wages and salaries.

SIGI figures showed that 95 per cent of the female heads are economically inactive, Petra added.  

National Aid Fund (NAF) spokesperson Najih Sawalha said that a total of 40,000 widow-led families have benefited from the fund’s programmes so far.

Hussain Al Khuzai, professor of sociology, said that there are 300,000 widows in Jordan and 75 per cent of them are chief breadwinners for their families.