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Article - Social networks, empowerment, and wellbeing among Syrian refugee and Jordanian women: Implications for development and social inclusion Volume 170, Artikel No. 106324

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In response to large-scale refugee crises, frameworks for development assistance have promoted
women’s empowerment, wellbeing, and social inclusion. A productive research agenda lies in analyzing

social networks: it is unknown how women structure their social ties within refugee and host commu-
nities, and whether social networks matter for their sense of empowerment and wellbeing. In 2022, we

surveyed Syrian refugee (n = 106) and Jordanian (n = 109) women from poor households across five
neighborhoods in Amman. We implemented a standard network survey instrument (PERSNET) to assess
network structure and composition. We tested associations with six measures (PE, MRS, MTL, Cantril,
PWB, MSPSS) of psychological empowerment and wellbeing. We then conducted participatory network
mapping (Net-Map) to assess local meanings of empowerment and visually map the pathways between
social actors, community-based work, and psychological outcomes. Survey data show that networks were
highly homogeneous, smaller for Syrians than Jordanians (p = 0.0001), and smaller for women in very
poor households (p < 0.0001). As network size increased, so did levels of psychological empowerment
(p = 0.02), motivation to lead (p = 0.007) and perceived social support (p = 0.001). Notably, as networks
became increasingly kin-based, empowerment levels decreased (p = 0.003). Networks were more diverse
for community volunteers, who named fewer female, married, and kin-based peers (p 0.05), and
reported higher levels of resourcefulness (p = 0.01) and psychological wellbeing (p = 0.002).
Qualitative data show that women, who described empowerment as ‘‘ability” and ‘‘proof of existence,”
drew upon volunteering work to diversify their networks outside the home. Such evidence matters for
development initiatives that build programs for women to work, learn, and socially interact. We conclude

that expanding opportunities for volunteer work is one way of diversifying social networks and empow-
ering urban poor women. Our research helps better understand how women can be supported to diver-
sify their social ties, take community leadership roles, and respond to social change.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

362.87 EGG s

Penerbit

: Elsevier (Cell Press)., 2023

Deskripsi Fisik

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Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

0305-750X

Klasifikasi

362.87 EGG s

Tipe Isi

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Tipe Media

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Tipe Pembawa

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Edisi

Volume 170, Artikel No. 106324

Subjek

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Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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