The factors influencing Saudi Arabian women's persistence in nontraditional work careers

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the factors that influence Saudi Arabian women to persist in nontraditional work careers, which are primarily in gender-integrated work environments and male-dominated industries.Design/methodology/approachQualitative research was conducted based on semistructured interviews with 30 Saudi women – 18 of whom were working in nontraditional careers and 12 of whom had worked in nontraditional careers but subsequently left to pursue more traditional, female-associated career opportunities. Interview data were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory methods.FindingsDistinct similarities and differences between the two subsamples emerged from the data. Similarities between the two groups included men's underestimation of women's performance, lack of access to workplace sites and resources, male colleagues' cultural fears of violating gender norms and social rejection of women in the workplace. Women who persisted in nontraditional work careers articulated a high level of self-efficacy, an optimistic future vision, positive relationships with male colleagues and family support, which enabled them to persevere despite numerous difficulties associated with working in a male-dominated environment. A conceptual model is developed that integrates the findings explaining Saudi women's persistence in nontraditional work careers.Research limitations/implicationsSelf-reported data and a small sample size are the main limitations of this study.Practical implicationsMale managers of women in nontraditional work settings are encouraged to engage positively with women professionals in their teams and to provide opportunities for growth and development for all members of the workforce. Saudi public policy decision-makers, families, educators and organizations interested in retaining and increasing female workforce participation should take into account the factors influencing Saudi women's persistence in nontraditional work careers.Originality/valueAlthough some studies in Western contexts have addressed the factors that influence the persistence of women in nontraditional careers, less work has been done in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) sociocultural context. Specifically, in the present study, the authors investigate the factors that influence women's persistence in nontraditional careers in Saudi Arabia's high gender-role-oriented culture.

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“…In larger samples, differences may fade (Pilotti, El‐Moussa, & Abdelsalam, 2022). Third, the status of KSA as a society in transition (Dukhaykh & Bilimoria, 2021; Hakiem, 2021; Solomon & Tausch, 2021) may lead people to expect changes in their quotidian life, thereby making students more likely to adapt to instructional changes than other students of a society more stable in its modes of existence. As such, the current data may not generalize to student populations other than those of societies transitioning to a different structure.…”

Measuring the Impact of the Pandemic on Female and Male Students’ Learning in a Society in Transition: A Must for Sustainable Education

“…The study asks whether there are differences in enrollment and performance (as measured by pass/fail grades) between face-to-face courses taught by the same instructors before and during the pandemic. As the study takes place in a society in transition from a patriarchal order based on tribal networks [36] to one in which gender equity is gradually being inserted into its social fabric, education system, and workforce [18,[37][38][39], gender is examined to assess whether it differentiates students' responses to online instruction. In this socio-cultural context, women's newly acquired rights and opportunities may make them more determined to seek academic success [40], thereby expressing no diminished enrollment and learning or even growth.…”

“…Male students might have had a more difficult time adapting to the online mode due to their having been the recipients of prominence and privileges from the patriarchal society in which they, their parents, and grandparents were raised [36]. Although top-down gender equity forces have largely leveled the field for men and women, traces of past inequities may continue to exist [37][38][39], thereby making adaptation to changing circumstances difficult for those who have benefited from entitlement [43]. All the other categories of courses did not display differences between online and face-to-face for either females or males (χs 2 ≤ 3.96, ns).…”

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“…In the Arab world, various barriers hinder women's integration into the workforce (Al-Asfour et al, 2017;Elamin and Omair, 2010;Lirio, 2014). These barriers affect non-traditional careers in entrepreneurship (Dukhaykh and Bilimoria, 2021), ventures (Itani et al, 2011), management (Omair, 2010), and leadership (Abalkhail, 2020;Jamjoom and Mills, 2023;Shaya and Abu Khait, 2017). Research highlights how local women exploit their agency to navigate workplaces, with authors (e.g.…”

“…Despite interest in women's management careers in the West (Davidson and Burke, 2016;Wajcman, 2013), understanding of women's advancement, particularly in the Middle East, is limited (Abalkhail, 2020;Al-Asfour et al, 2017;Dukhaykh and Bilimoria, 2021;Jamjoom and Mills, 2023;Shaya and Abu Khait, 2017). Emirati women's rise in management remains underexplored (Omair, 2010;Kemp and Zhao, 2016;Tlaiss, 2014), as has the broader Arab context (Afiouni and Karam, 2014;Metcalfe, 2011;Ramzy, 2002).…”