Borrowed Rooms

Borrowed Rooms is a portrait of what happens when a woman’s survival is not hers to choose, and her worth is counted only in what she can give, not what she can keep.

Economic violence is when an abuser controls a woman’s access to money, work, or property. It limits her financial independence and economic security.

In Jordan, many women lack control over their earnings, with most household financial decisions made by men, and over 50% of married women reporting they cannot decide how to use their own income. Even when employed, women may have no say in spending their wages, leaving them dependent and undermining their economic autonomy.

Each image traces the weight of control. Faces blur into walls, arms reach into absence, and movements are caught between resistance and surrender. The photographs whisper of a quiet captivity, where a single pull from an unseen hand is enough to decide whether they move or remain still.

‘Borrowed Rooms’ is a portrait of what happens when a woman’s survival is not hers to choose, and her worth is counted only in what she can give, not what she can keep.