AMMAN — On a warm day late last month a crowd filed into a white tent outside the royal palaces in Amman to hear a much-anticipated speech by King Abdullah II on the country’s political future.

Although the invitees included various dignitaries — former politicians, tribal leaders, journalists, even Islamists — they included only a few women: and when the men interrupted the speech to chant loyalty slogans, those few seemed to disappear from sight entirely.

In his speech, the king encouraged participation in the elections, which are expected in January, and spoke about street protests, saying calls for overthrowing the regime were “regrettable.” He said that “every individual in this society is part of this regime.” But he failed to mention the current struggle for women’s rights in Jordan, which he has mentioned in the past.

Since popular uprisings swept the region, the Jordanian government has stated that political and economic reforms are key to the country’s future stability and prosperity. Yet, despite the formation of numerous committees and commissions, there has been little emphasis on women’s issues.

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AMMAN — Through their eight years of marriage the husband of Suzan Qouqas would not allow her to work, even though she had studied to become a pharmacist. A year ago, she found herself divorced, with three children and no career. At first, Ms. Qouqas, 34, who lives in Amman, found solace in baking desserts and selling them to neighbors and friends. Then one day Ms. Qouqas stumbled onto a Facebook page called Sitat Byoot, or Women of the Home, an online start-up created two years ago by Saeed Omar, 34, as a marketplace for Arab handicrafts created by women.

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