Veiled diversity? Workplace experiences of Muslim women in Australia

Syed, Jawad; Pio, Edwina

doi:10.1007/s10490-009-9168-x

Cited by 126 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Scholars talk of the experiences of triple jeopardy, the connections between race, sex and employment disadvantaging Muslim women's opportunities (Syed and Pio 2010;Mighty 1997). Syed and Özbilgin (2009) and Syed and Pio (2010) make explicit a framework which connects structure, culture and agency, the idea that gender, ethnicity and religion are 'contingent relationships with multiple determinations and implications ' (2010: p.118) except that (and importantly), the sociocultural perspectives connect 'kinship, cultural and institutional structure within society ' (2010: p. 120).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Syed and Özbilgin (2009) and Syed and Pio (2010) make explicit a framework which connects structure, culture and agency, the idea that gender, ethnicity and religion are 'contingent relationships with multiple determinations and implications ' (2010: p.118) except that (and importantly), the sociocultural perspectives connect 'kinship, cultural and institutional structure within society ' (2010: p. 120). The literature however offers mixed messages about the experiences, effects and impact of patriarchal and religious mores on Muslim women in different contexts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Agency and coping strategies for ethnic and gendered minorities at work

Murray

Ali

2016

The International Journal of Human Resource Management

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This study examines the comparative workplace experiences of twenty Muslim professional women from the United Kingdom and Australia classified as minorities in terms of their ethnic, religious, gender and migration status. Diversity as exclusion remains highly topical in extant diversity studies. For instance, Muslim migrants have often been stereotyped as sexually constrained, victimized, ignorant, poor, uneducated and tradition-bound. Muslim women may be highly discouraged if western workplaces are not conducive to social and cultural needs. By using human agency and coping theory, the study investigates the coping strategies of Muslim professional women, how they adapt, how they react and reflect on stressful workplace events such as discriminatory behaviour. Agency theory provides a basis by which to explore agent responses to organisational narratives in this study. Overall, the study finds that active coping and planning to deal with stressful events is important to ethnic minorities and that emotion-focused coping is used when less active planning is prevalent. The study lends support to the triple jeopardy effects of race-related ethnicity, work practices and gender. The findings pose challenges for Western feminist theory in terms of the interface between gender and religion and the freedom of expression of individual agents in the workplace.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agency and coping strategies for ethnic and gendered minorities at work

Murray

Ali

2016

The International Journal of Human Resource Management

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“…SH is considered a very sensitive topic in MMCs (Syed & Pio 2010) and remains under-investigated. The study contributes to the SH literature in MMCs by using neoinstitutional theory to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the factors impacting SH and how it is redressed in organizations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In their study on migrant Muslim women in Australia, Syed and Pio (2010) show that since single level conceptualisations of diversity management failed to address the complexities of gender, ethnicity and religion, a relational and multilevel construct of managing diversity is needed (Syed, 2008;Syed & Özbilgin, 2009). The present study used a multi-level lens to investigate SH in MMCs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploratory study of sexual harassment in Pakistani organizations

Ali

Kramar

2014

Asia Pac J Manag

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Despite prior research on the influence of national regulatory and cultural factors on sexual harassment (SH) at the workplace, few studies have examined SH, its impact on victims and redress processes in Muslim majority countries (MMCs) such as Pakistan. This study uses neo-institutional theory to develop a more comprehensive framework to explore SH experienced by women at the workplace in Pakistan. Qualitative methodology is adopted to examine employees' and managers' perceptions of SH. Drawing on interviews with working women and human resource managers in six Pakistani organisations, the study demonstrates that even when there are formal policies designed to prevent SH, cultural factors influence policy implementation. It reveals that there is a tension between traditional culture and behaviour consistent with SH policies in the workplace. The study identifies three major factors which influence SH redressal; these are socio-cultural factors (e.g. female modesty), institutional factors (e.g. inappropriate redress procedures), and managerial expertise/ bias.

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“…Extant literature suggests that immigrant women experiences and issues in the workplace are very different than their Western female counterparts (Syed & Pio, 2010). One significant challenge to labour market access by immigrants is language barriers (Mills & Prasad, 1997;Syed & Murray, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unveiling the myth of the Muslim woman: a postcolonial critique

Golnaraghi

Mills²

2013

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between neo‐colonialist discourse and Quebec's proposed Bill 94 aimed at restricting the public activities of niqab and veil‐wearing Muslim women.Design/methodology/approachDrawing upon postcolonial feminist frames, this study critically analyzes the discourses of Muslim women and Western elites that serve to construct the niqab and veil‐wearing Muslim women. Using critical discourse analysis of digital and print media articles from 1994 to 2010, the authors trace the discursive character of the Muslim woman related to Bill 94 which proposes the banning of religious face coverings when seeking public services in the Province of Quebec, Canada.FindingsThis paper develops a postcolonial understanding of the discursive conditions that constitute the social environment in which Muslim women are required to operate in Quebec and the advent of Bill 94. The authors contend that the discourses in the construction of Muslim women have mutated over time towards Western cultural hegemony and paternalism, and, in the process, Muslim women have been constructed as oppressed, in need of saving, and at the same time not to be trusted.Research limitations/implicationsThe account of events in this paper offer an alternative lens in privileging some of the embedded beliefs and values behind dominant cultural accounts of Quebec in relation to Muslim women and Bill 94. Future scholars may wish to extend this study through examining discourses of secular, veil and niqab‐wearing Muslim women; newcomers, those living in Canada for a longer period and those born in Canada; as well as those from different countries of origin. Another area of research that is ripe for exploration is workplace experiences of Muslim women in Canada. Additionally, examination of overt and subtle discrimination faced by Muslim women would provide important insights into employment equity and human rights.Originality/valueThis paper presents a close look at public discourses around the niqab and Muslim women in Canada, demonstrating the persistence of colonial dynamics and mindsets influencing how issues regarding minority groups are evaluated today.

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Veiled diversity? Workplace experiences of Muslim women in Australia

Abstract: Australia, Managing diversity, Migrants, Multilevel perspective, Muslim women,

Cited by 126 publications

References 61 publications

Agency and coping strategies for ethnic and gendered minorities at work

Agency and coping strategies for ethnic and gendered minorities at work

An exploratory study of sexual harassment in Pakistani organizations

Unveiling the myth of the Muslim woman: a postcolonial critique

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