Cultural and Religious Barriers Influencing the Participation of Women in Research: A Study from Jordan.

Objective: To assess the general attitude toward women's participation in research studies in Jordan and determine the various cultural and religious issues that could impact the rate of inclusion of Arab and Muslim women in research studies.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey study was conducted among Jordanian university students using a 17-item opinion questionnaire.

Results: A total of 1265 students from different professional disciplines completed the questionnaire. The majority of the respondents (69.1%) believed that females in Jordan do not have the full autonomy to make their decision to participate in research studies. Study findings also showed that females are more likely to avoid the participation in research studies that require staying outside home or involve direct interaction between researcher and study participants. Females would prefer to deal with female research assistants when participating in research studies.

Conclusion: More efforts are required to encourage and enhance the rate of participation in research studies among women in Jordan and, probably, other Middle Eastern societies. When designing and conducting research studies in these countries, researchers should seriously consider the cultural and religious beliefs.