Abstract
Greater numbers of women are entering workplaces in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. Structural features of patriarchy are changing in Middle Eastern societies and workplaces, but women’s experiences of gendered segregation, under-representation and exclusion raise questions around the feminist politics and ethics mobilized to respond to them. Building on and extending emerging research on feminism, gender, resistance, feminist ethics and the Middle East, we use data from an interview study with 58 Saudi Arabian women to explore their attitudes toward gender-segregated and mixed workplaces. We develop a novel conceptualization of how gender is experienced through patternings of resistance and conformity shaped by the ethicopolitical, religiopolitical and sociocultural webs of meaning in Saudi society that permeate workplaces. Saudi women’s attitudes and actions in the workplace are neither entirely individual and private nor entirely collective and public, but made up of nuanced commitments and resistances to context-relevant identity issues. We discuss implications of our findings for the feminist ethics and politics of gendered resistance and conformity to working practices and norms in Islamic and Middle Eastern settings.
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Appendix 1: Overview of participants’ demographic characteristics
Appendix 1: Overview of participants’ demographic characteristics
N | Age | Marital status | Children | Qualification | Workplace | Sector (company) | Job title | Tribal affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 41 | Married | 0 | PhD | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Training and professional development advisor | Non-tribal |
2 | 28 | Married | 0 | BSc Computer science | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Computer Operating system specialists | Non-tribal |
3 | 46 | Single | N/A | MBA | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | System Analyst | Non-tribal |
4 | 51 | Divorced | 2 | BSc | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | HR manager | Non-tribal |
5 | 29 | Married | 0 | BSc | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | systems Analyst | Non-tribal |
6 | 38 | Single | N/A | Diploma | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | secretary | Non-tribal |
7 | 27 | Single | N/A | BSc | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Training coordinator | Tribal |
8 | 31 | Married | 1 | BSc | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Trainee advisor | Non-tribal |
9 | 31 | Married | N/A | Bachelor degree | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Division secretary | Non-tribal |
10 | 35 | Married | 2 | BA English Language and Literature | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Digital cartographer | Non-tribal |
11 | 31 | Married | N/A | High school, and currently studying BSc | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Training coordinator | Non-tribal |
12 | 33 | Married | 1 | Bachelor in English | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Training coordinator | Non-tribal |
13 | 49 | Married | 3 | Bachelor degree | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | SAP healthcare Admin | Non-tribal |
14 | 28 | Single | N/A | Master’s degree | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | HR coordinator | Non-tribal |
15 | 31 | Married | 0 | Bachelor degree | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Admin Asst | Tribal |
16 | 43 | Divorced | 4 | Diploma | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Statistical assistance | Tribal |
17 | 42 | Divorced | 3 | Bachelor Civil Eng | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | counsellor Trainee | Non-tribal |
18 | 35 | Married | 4 | Bachelor Math | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | IT Technical clerk | Tribal |
19 | 33 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree in History | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Travel consultant | Tribal |
20 | 27 | Single | N/A | Diploma | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Travel consultant | Tribal |
21 | 28 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Admin Assistant | Non-tribal |
22 | 31 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree in international management | Gender-mixed | Oil and gas | Statistical assistant | Non-tribal |
23 | 38 | Married | N/A | Bachelor degree | Gender-mixed | Hospital | Respiratory Specialist | Tribal |
24 | 40 | Married | 4 | Bachelor degree | Gender-mixed | Hospital | Echo therapist | Non-tribal |
25 | 43 | Divorced | 1 | Master’s degree in HR | Gender-mixed | Hospital | EKG Tech | Non-tribal |
26 | 31 | Married | N/A | Master's degree | Gender-mixed | Hospital | Respiratory Therapist | Non-tribal |
27 | 30 | Married | 2 | Bachelor degree | Gender-mixed | Hospital | Respiratory Therapist | Non-tribal |
28 | 30 | Single | N/A | BSc in Management | Gender-mixed | Petrochemicals | Financial officer | Non-tribal |
29 | 31 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree in English Literature | Segregated | Travel agency | Travel agent | Tribal |
30 | 38 | Divorced | 2 | Bachelor degree | Segregated | Travel agency | Travel agent | Tribal |
31 | 35 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree in Arabic Language | Segregated | Travel agency | Assistance supervisor at call center | Tribal |
32 | 32 | Married | N/A | Bachelor degree at mathematics | Segregated | Travel agency | Call center supervisor | Tribal |
33 | 30 | Single | N/A | Diploma | Segregated | Travel agency | Travel agent | Tribal |
34 | 28 | Single | N/A | BSc Translation French | Segregated | Travel agency | Travel agent | Tribal |
35 | 25 | Married | 1 | BSc in Marketing | Segregated | Travel agency | Travel agent | Tribal |
36 | 31 | Married | 2 | Masters | Segregated | Banking | Branch manager | Tribal |
37 | 25 | Married | N/A | Bachelor degree in English Literature | Segregated | Banking | Deputy manager | Tribal |
38 | 37 | Married | 1 | Bachelor degree in Sociology | Gender-mixed | Private Hospital | Sociologist | Non-tribal |
39 | 28 | Single | N/A | Master's degree | Segregated | Recruitment | HR Performance manager | Tribal |
40 | 31 | Married | 3 | Bachelor degree | Segregated | Recruitment | Supervisor | Tribal |
41 | 26 | Married | 1 | Diploma | Segregated | Recruitment | Career advisor | Tribal |
42 | 26 | Married | 2 | Bachelor degree | Segregated | Recruitment | Career advisor | Tribal |
43 | 29 | Single | N/A | Diploma | Segregated | Recruitment | Career advisor | Non-tribal |
44 | 27 | Married | 2 | Bachelor degree | Segregated | Recruitment | Tutor /Trainer | Tribal |
45 | 32 | Single | N/A | Master’s degree in Executive business administration | Segregated | Recruitment | Trainer | Tribal |
46 | 30 | Single | N/A | Bachelor in History and Diploma in Technical networks | Segregated | Recruitment | Career Advisor | Tribal |
47 | 30 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree | Segregated | Public school | Teacher | Tribal |
48 | 31 | Married | 3 | Bachelor degree | Segregated | University | Data entry | Tribal |
49 | 32 | Single | N/A | Master’s degree | Gender-mixed | Business Development | Analyst | Tribal |
50 | 29 | Single | N/A | BSc Medical Lab tech from KFU | Gender-mixed | Hospital | Medical LAB Technologist | Tribal |
51 | 26 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree | Segregated | Recruitment | Career Advisor | Tribal |
52 | 30 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree in History | Segregated | Recruitment | Recruitment advisor | Tribal |
53 | 30 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree | Segregated | Recruitment | Performance manager | Tribal |
54 | 36 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree | Segregated | Recruitment | Public relation and sale | Tribal |
55 | 36 | Single | N/A | Bachelor degree in Business | Segregated | Recruitment | Public relation and sale | Tribal |
56 | 24 | Single | N/A | Master’s degree | Segregated | Recruitment | Career Advisor | Tribal |
57 | 24 | Single | N/A | Diploma | Segregated | Recruitment | Administrator | Tribal |
58 | 28 | Single | N/A | Master’s degree | Gender-mixed | IT training center | Executive director | Tribal |
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Aldossari, M., Calvard, T. The Politics and Ethics of Resistance, Feminism and Gender Equality in Saudi Arabian Organizations. J Bus Ethics 181, 873–890 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04949-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04949-3