IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v11y2024i1d10.1057_s41599-024-02635-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ideological representations of women in Jordanian folk proverbs from the perspective of cultural semiotics

Author

Listed:
  • Nisreen N. Al-Khawaldeh

    (Faculty of Arts, The Hashemite University)

  • Alaeddin A. Banikalef

    (Faculty of Arts and Languages, Jadara University)

  • Luqman M. Rababah

    (Faculty of Arts and Languages, Jadara University)

  • Ali F. Khawaldeh

    (Faculty of Arts, The Hashemite University)

Abstract

This study analyses the semiotics of proverbs by presenting the ideological portrayals of women in Jordanian folk proverbs. The content analysis of the proverbs shows that women are represented both positively and negatively, though they are preponderantly depicted negatively in the majority of the analysed proverbs. They are represented negatively as a symbol of feebleness, foolishness, disgrace, cunning, deception, jealousy and reproduction. Few are the proverbs that elevate the status of women, and if they do, it is on the condition that they are confined to particular restricted gender roles, such as mothers, sisters, wives and daughters providing kindness, help, motivation, and comfort to others. The findings uncover how socially dominant ideologies can influence the way power is practiced in the context of gender relations. They also show the immense significance of such proverbs as a social discourse that has been long used for perpetuating gendered roles and constructing and interpreting related realities, thus affecting social structures and relationships. The inferiority of women constitutes the basis of their assigned roles and responsibilities in various life domains. The proverbs have the ideological indexicals of underestimating women, showing their position in society and also reminding them of their roles.

Suggested Citation

  • Nisreen N. Al-Khawaldeh & Alaeddin A. Banikalef & Luqman M. Rababah & Ali F. Khawaldeh, 2024. "Ideological representations of women in Jordanian folk proverbs from the perspective of cultural semiotics," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-02635-z
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-02635-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-024-02635-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-024-02635-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kristy Campion, 2020. "Women in the Extreme and Radical Right: Forms of Participation and Their Implications," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-20, August.
    2. Diana Budidarma & Irwan Sumarsono & Fithriyah Inda Nur Abida & Adolfina M.S Moybeka, 2023. "Gender Representation in Classic Fairy Tales: A Comparative Study of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast," World Journal of English Language, Sciedu Press, vol. 13(6), pages 1-11, July.
    3. Isra Irshad & Musarat Yasmin, 2023. "Translating harassment: cross cultural reconstruction of the feminist identity in translated fiction," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kristy Campion & Scott Poynting, 2021. "International Nets and National Links: The Global Rise of the Extreme Right—Introduction to Special Issue," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-7, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-02635-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.