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

The study investigates how women are ideologically represented in Jordanian folk proverbs, treating proverbs as socio-cultural, ideological signs within Bakhtinian Semiotic Theory (BST). It examines gendered meanings embedded in these utterances and how they reflect and perpetuate social norms, taboos, and stereotypes in a patriarchal, tribal context. Drawing additionally on Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA), the research addresses how power, gender, and ideology are (re)produced in discourse, often subtly, and seeks to uncover sexist ideologies maintained through proverbs. The research addresses a noted gap: while Jordanian proverbs have been studied for syntax, translation, psycholinguistics, and figurative features, their gender-stereotypical representations—particularly of women—remain underexplored. The purpose is to analyze the main attributions attached to women in Jordanian folk proverbs, illuminate their cultural-ideological underpinnings, and assess their role in sustaining gendered roles and social structures.

Prior research underscores women’s central roles and stereotypical portrayals in folk literature across cultures, often revolving around passivity, beauty, evil, kindness, and power, which have been critiqued by feminist scholarship. Proverbs, as a genre of folklore and social discourse, are closely tied to power and ideology. Studies in Arabic-speaking contexts (e.g., Iraq) show negative stereotyping of women and the institutionalization of male dominance via proverbs. The literature documents extensive use of animal-related expressions with gendered connotations; in Jordanian and Algerian contexts, women are frequently linked to derogatory traits (foolishness, cunning, powerlessness, inferiority, deception), whereas men are associated with strength and superiority. Comparative work highlights both shared and culture-specific connotations in proverbs (e.g., dog-related expressions). Although many languages have been studied for gendered proverbs, there is limited work on women’s representations in Arabic-speaking societies and none focused specifically on Jordanian folk proverbs, establishing the rationale for this study.

A qualitative research design was employed. Thirty-six naturally occurring Jordanian folk proverbs about women were collected in a log book, translated into English, and contextually clarified. The proverbs were thematically analyzed into positive and negative representation themes, interpreted through the lenses of Bakhtinian Semiotic Theory (BST) and Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA). Reliability was addressed via independent coding and subsequent co-analysis by the researchers to reach consensus on categorization, yielding high agreement deemed satisfactory.

- Data: 36 commonly used Jordanian folk proverbs about women were analyzed qualitatively. - Overall pattern: Women are portrayed both positively and negatively, with negative depictions predominating. Elderly speakers use negative themes more frequently than youth. - Positive themes: (a) Kindness, devotion, motivation, and help (e.g., daughters as sources of affection and support; virtuous woman as essence of the home); (b) Pillar of the house and family (mother as stabilizing force who unites and sustains the household); (c) Optimism (daughters as sources of blessing and livelihood; virtuous women likened to rose gardens; strength amid adversity). - Negative themes: (a) Feebleness and weakness (girls as perpetual worry; preference for sons; widowhood as vulnerability; male protection as necessary); (b) Immaturity and foolishness (women’s advice devalued; women framed as deficient in reason/religion); (c) Disgrace (girls as potential sources of shame; urgency of marriage as protection; burden of women’s ‘faults’ shifted to families); (d) Typical housewife and object of reproduction (women confined to cooking and childbearing; childlessness stigmatized; fruitless tree metaphor for barrenness); (e) Cunning, deception, mistrust, and jealousy (women’s ‘cunning’ emphasized; co-wife jealousy naturalized; mistrust even when pious). - Sociocultural function: Proverbs act as ideological indexicals reinforcing gendered roles, male authority, and female subordination within patriarchal structures.

The analysis shows that Jordanian folk proverbs function as ideological signs that preserve and normalize gendered hierarchies, aligning with BST’s view of utterances as culturally embedded signs and FCDA’s focus on discourse-driven power relations. The dominance of negative portrayals (weakness, foolishness, disgrace, confinement to domesticity and reproduction, cunning/mistrust) sustains patriarchal norms and legitimizes male authority. Positive proverbs elevate women primarily within circumscribed roles (mother, sister, daughter), reinforcing conditional valuation tied to service and caregiving. Generational differences in usage (elderly > youth) suggest evolving attitudes and potential attenuation of negative stereotypes. While deeply rooted, these proverbs may not mirror current realities as women’s participation expands in education, work, and public life; nonetheless, their circulation can shape mindsets, self-image, and expectations, contributing to gender inequality. The findings illuminate how proverbial discourse reproduces hegemonic masculinity and submissive femininity, and underscore the need for critical awareness and linguistic change to reflect and promote equity.

The study contributes a culturally grounded, semiotics- and FCDA-informed analysis of 36 Jordanian folk proverbs, revealing that negative portrayals of women outweigh positive ones. Women are primarily associated with motherhood and domestic labor, and frequently depicted as weak, foolish, disgraceful, reproductively defined, and cunning or untrustworthy. Positive portrayals valorize women within restricted familial roles. The authors recommend policy and societal interventions: legal reforms to eliminate discrimination, media promotion of pro-women proverbs, curriculum development to foster respect for women, and public education on the socializing role of proverbs. For language learners, proverbs offer a resource for critical analysis of figurative discourse. Future research should pursue comparative studies of both genders in Jordanian and cross-cultural contexts and explore additional explicit and implicit themes encoded in proverbs.

The study is limited to a qualitative, thematic analysis of 36 Jordanian folk proverbs focusing on ideological representations of women from a cultural semiotics perspective. It does not quantitatively measure prevalence or societal impact, and its scope excludes broader samples, men-focused proverbs, and cross-cultural comparisons, which are suggested for future research.