This study examines the professional and legal impacts faced by Jordanian women journalists who are unable to join the Jordan Press Association, with particular attention to how digital violence compounds their exclusion.

Based on a survey of 117 non-member women journalists and interviews with five media experts, the study finds that 82% of respondents want union representation. Yet many remain excluded because they cannot meet the training requirements set out in the union law, or lack clear information about membership procedures.

The study finds that non-membership leaves women journalists with weaker professional recognition, less representation, and greater fear of legal prosecution without union protection. It also argues that enforcement of provisions related to “impersonators of the profession” deepens unequal treatment between member and non-member journalists, denying non-members access to key professional rights and benefits.

This lack of protection also heightens women journalists’ exposure to digital violence, including online defamation, harassment, privacy violations, and coordinated threats. The study concludes by calling for legislative reforms to reduce barriers to union membership and for stronger protection mechanisms that respond to the digital risks facing non-member women journalists.

This study is available in Arabic only.