Women in Organizations: Evidence from Arab World

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Women in Organizations Evidence from Arab World

• Katlin Omair
• PhD student, University of Jyväskylä

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Objectives

• Specify the topic and region under study.
• Give an introduction of the regions
  socio-economic situation.
• Explain the statistics.
• Give an overview of the researches conducted in
  the region about women managers.

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Map of the Middle East
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Adult literacy rate at 2004
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Youth literacy rate (aged 15-24) at
2004
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Female labour force ( of total)
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Attitudes towards women who work

• Moderate change from traditional attitudes to
  more liberal views.
• Considerable gender gap, with women more
  supportive than men.
• No great generation differences among men, but
  very strong generation differences among women.
• Situation may change in favour of women in near
  future.

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Sectors employing women

• Service sector and local market.
• Less investment or experience required.
• Less interaction with general public.
• Hobbies can be expressed.
• Traditionally female jobs schools, hospitals,
  social work, hair-dressing, tailoring.
• Over-employment in some of the female-dominated
  jobs is ten times the need.

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Reasons for working

• Enjoyment or hobby
• Utilize knowledge and skills
• Occupy oneself
• Personal development
• Self-recognition
• Economic gain
• Ambition
• Independence

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Obstacles for career advancement

• Inequality in promotion and pay (women earn 35
  of what men earn).
• Women as higher employment risk due to familial
  duties.
• Traditional stereotypical attitudes.
• Patriarchal environment imposing restrictions on
  womens daily lives.
• Women are prevented from taking decision-making
  or key power positions.
• Men given priority and women discouraged from
  working if men can replace them.
• Womens professional capabilities questioned.
• Male resistance to women in management.

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Obstacles (continuing)

• Feeling inferiority complex towards men in
  management.
• The absence of human resource policies and
  strategies to promote women managers.
• Lack of professional management training
  programs.
• Corporate cultures forbidding gender
  interactions.
• Exclusion from formal and informal networks.
• The absence of mentoring programs.
• Men controlling key networks and more likely to
  be mentors.
• The absence of benefits e.g. flexitime,
  child-care support, job-sharing.
• Conflicting roles of being a domesticated wife
  and mother and a business woman.

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Opportunities for success

• Good education (also from abroad).
• Government support and faster services.
• Using husbands or fathers influence.
• Family relationships and knowing the right
  people.
• Developing informal networks.
• Positive attitudes from business partners.
• Consulting family on business matters.

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Work-family balance

• On average two servants to help with children and
  housework.
• A combination of family and career is possible as
  far as it does not interfere with ones role as a
  mother or wife.
• Husbands and wives roles have changed.
• Family structure changed from joint to nuclear
  family.

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Social and cultural factors
influencing womens working lives

• The biggest obstacles for women are the tradition
  and customs that place them in inferior position.
  
• Majority of women do not (or cannot) question the
  customs and traditions and have tried to
  manipulate the system or carve out their own
  ways.
• Laws, customs and norms are based on Islam and
  its teachings.
• No secular law on personal status has been
  established, formal secular laws cannot be
  established if they come against deeply rooted
  customs and traditions.
• A wide distinction between religion and the
  patriarchal interpretation of religion.
• Islam functioning as liberating force for women.
• Patriarchal interpretation of Islam based on
  customs from pre-Islamic era.

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Comments on researches

• Quantitative methods used (e.g. MAWWWS AWS
  Bens Sex Role Inventory).
• The researches lack scientific or analytical
  focus.
• A need to research all aspects of womens
  managerial work and leadership.
• Studies of ethics and CSR are non-exisant.
• The impact of tradition should be included in all
  studies of business in Middle East.
• A need to study patriarchy and hostile sexism in
  Arab countries.
• A need to study acculturation and whether new
  cultural patterns are finding base in Middle
  East.

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Thank You for Your attention!

• Questions and comments, please.