By Mohammad Ghazal

AMMAN - Seven per cent of married women from rural communities in the country's southern region were forced to get pregnant, while 46 per cent of them had no say in the timing of their pregnancies, according to a study released this week.

Carried out by the Integration Health and Empowerment of Women in the South Region Project, the study targeted 918 women, 807 of whom filled out the questionnaire from April 7 to May 9 in 2008.

A total of 37 per cent of the women said they used at least one method of contraception with the intrauterine device and pills being the most common.

According to the study, 95 per cent of the women agreed that family planning has positive health advantages for both women and children, while 29 per cent did not give high priority to their health and do not seek medical treatment when they get sick.

"The figures indicate that women in these southern areas have little knowledge of health issues. In light of these figures, there should be more focus when drawing up health policies for these areas in the south to raise awareness and empower women in these issues," Ayman Mansour, the study's consultant, told The Jordan Times over the phone Thursday.

He said strategies at the national level should target women in these "underserved" areas and provide education and training to enhance access to health centres and help them make appropriate decisions related to their reproductive health.

"A large percentage of women said they do not visit health centres as they are far away from their homes… the southern governorates cover a vast area, so there should also be a focus on outreach programmes," Mansour added.

The study also indicated that 42 per cent of the respondents believe that married women’s work was confined to their households.

More than 30 per cent said they were psychologically abused, being cursed for example, while 20 per cent reported being physically abused and subjected to some form of economic and social abuse, like being prevented from using their own money.

According to Abdul Menim Malkawi, a technical expert at the project, the scheme was launched in September 2006 and is implemented jointly by the Higher Population Council and the Ministry of Health with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

He said the project is designed to improve women’s reproductive health by enhancing health services in health centres affiliated with the Ministry of Health, adding that it also seeks to empower local communities as well as increasing awareness among men, women and young people on issues related to reproductive health, family planning and women's empowerment.

Tokiko Sato, the project’s chief adviser, said the survey seeks to explore the determinants of women’s empowerment, reproductive health and marital abuse among married women.

He added the study covered women aged 15-49 years in rural areas of Karak, Tafileh, Ma’an and Aqaba, with a view to develop suitable strategies for attitudinal and behavioural change communication among them, according to a statement released by the project.