Challenging gender norms: women’s leadership, political authority, and autonomy

Abstract

Purpose In patriarchal settings, cultural barriers continue to influence women’s participation in positions of leadership and political authority. This paper aims to explore these findings in light of the theoretical concepts of “hegemonic masculinity” and “patriarchy,” which explain gender disparities in the occupancy of political power and leadership positions in Qatar. Design/methodology/approach Data from original face-to-face national surveys conducted among subjects in Qatar were used, including 1,611 completed household interviews. Findings The findings were consistent with the prevailing patriarchal beliefs present in Qatari society and Arab Gulf States. The analysis showed that there was greater significant support for men holding key leadership and authority positions than women. Individual-level factors were found to have a significant association with attitudes favoring women. Compared to respondents who had never attended school, those who had completed secondary school and those who had partaken in higher education favored having women in leadership roles. Practical implications As a means to fix the gender imbalance within the occupancy of positions of political power in Qatar, this study recommends putting substantial efforts into increasing the number of interventions underpinning gender equality through social awareness programs that may improve the public’s perceptions. Furthermore, gender-equitable affirmative actions are needed to promote the inclusion of women in power and increase their presence in leadership roles. Originality/value This study is among the very few that have theoretically and empirically addressed the issue of women’s authority and involvement in key leadership roles in the context of Qatar.

The impact of differentiated empowering leadership on employees’ depression: moderation of employees’ envy and gender

“…Gender differences have been widely studied in management research (Lari et al , 2022; Adikaram and Weerakotuwa, 2022; Kodagoda and Jayawardhana, 2022; Arshad et al , 2016; Arshad et al , 2020). To explore the effects of these gender differences on the relationship between leadership styles and employees’ behavior, in this study, we examined the effect of differentiated empowering leadership on male and female employees’ depression.…”

“…Furthermore, among the female employees, the effect of differentiated empowering leadership on depression was most potent when they were highly envious (female low envy = 0.34, p < 0.001, female high envy = 0.68, p < 0.001; Table 5 and Figure 2). Notes: N = 420; DEL = differentiated empowering leadership; ***significant at 0.001 level Envy and gender Gender differences have been widely studied in management research (Lari et al, 2022;Adikaram and Weerakotuwa, 2022;Kodagoda and Jayawardhana, 2022;Arshad et al, 2016;Arshad et al, 2020). To explore the effects of these gender differences on the relationship between leadership styles and employees' behavior, in this study, we examined the effect of differentiated empowering leadership on male and female employees' depression.…”

Adopting a gender quota policy in Qatar: a path to gender equity

“…These societal obstacles encountered by women in politics and the workforce – especially the patriarchal structure, male dominance and existing gender role dichotomies in household chores and childcare duties – are likely causes of public opposition to women’s access to political roles through gender quotas. According to Lari (2022), the social structure is shot through with cultural constraints (i.e. the household division of labor, family structures, gender roles within households and societal barriers to traditionally male-dominated sectors), which raises the concern that they hinder gender equity in roles of political authority in Qatar.…”

Women at Top Management Levels in Emerging Markets between Obstacles and Repercussions: Evidence from Egyptian Corporations

“…Although the attention paid to the impact of gender on corporations and their performance, the studies in their greatest aspect were in developed markets vs. a lack for emerging market, according to Patterson et al, (2021), that There is a declining trend in gender discrimination, but the problem continues and requires policymakers, society, and the government to work towards gender parity. Some of studies in emerging market dealt with the basis of decision-making (Lari et al, 2022;Kay and Sharabi, 2022), organizational behavior (Al-Ismail et al, 2019), leadership (Hallward and Bekdash-Muellers, 2019;Ottsen, 2019;Gorondutse et, al., 2021;Mashele and Alagidede, 2022), and attitude to corporate social responsibility (Issa and Fang, 2019). The study investigates both determinants and repercussions of Women at Top Management Levels in Egypt as an emerging market based on questionnaire and financial analysis.…”