Jordan is viewed as a country of social, political, and economic advancement. It currently leads the region in literacy rates and is well on its way to achieving gender equity. Despite Jordan's reputation as one of the most 'advanced' countries in the region, there have been conflicted reports on higher education completion rates of women. Some reports claim that Jordan maintains the widest gender gap in higher education completion in the region while others report that the percentage of females is higher than males. This study examines the experiences of women in higher education and elucidates the issues surrounding completion rates for women in Jordan by exploring the role that various factors play in contributing to the conferring of a higher education degree.

Eighteen women that, at the time of the study, were at the threshold of completing higher education and ten women, that at one point were enrolled but did not complete higher education, participated in this study. These women represented thirteen different universities (seven public and six private) throughout Jordan. Interviews were conducted with each participant and discussed family's educational attainment and their familial, social, cultural, and educational experiences. In addition to interviews, observations of the women were conducted on the university campus. Official university and ministry education records were collected to examine enrollment, graduation, and retention rates. Varied qualitative methods allowed for a holistic exploration of the patterns in the persistence of women in higher education.

The results indicate that the women's families are instrumental to their enrollment, attendance, and persistence in higher education. The centrality of the family played a major role in the decision-making and motivation of the women that participated in the study. Interestingly, the results also show that the same factors that inhibit some women from completing higher education enabled others. Such factors include the process associated with the General Secondary School Certificate Examination (or tawjihi) which is required for acceptance to higher education, and the women's initial intention for attending higher education. The differentiating factor was access to social capital, stemming from their family's positioning in society.