Women inSulha– excluded yet influential

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to locate, describe and analyze the mechanism and impact of women's informal role within the formally male-only Sulha -a prevalent, inter/intra-communal dispute resolution process practiced by Muslim, Christian and Druze Arabs in Israel and in many other regions of the Middle East and the Muslim world. Furthermore, this paper seeks to explore the way men's formal roles and women's informal roles interact within the Sulha's strict patriarchal settings. Design/methodology/approach -The first section of this paper uses interviews, participant observation and existing literature to locate, describe and analyze the specific ways in which women informally participate in and impact on the Sulha process. The second section uses a questionnaire, interviews, existing literature and analysis to examine the attitudes of men and women regarding women's current and future roles in Sulha. Findings -The paper demonstrates that the formal (male-only) visible part of the Sulha process coexists alongside a significant, yet mostly invisible, informal contribution of women -at each stage of the process. Furthermore, the paper shows that both men and women are cognizant of the informal role women play in Sulha, and that both men and women are open to a possible future expansion of the role of women in Sulha, including into formal roles. Originality/value -The paper highlights the need to seek and evaluate informal, sometimes invisible, yet significant contributions of women to traditional dispute resolution processes in strict patriarchal cultures.

Management research in the Arab World: What is now and what is next?

“…With reference to the patriarchal society and the constraining socio-cultural traditions, Tlaiss (2015b) found that Emirati women entrepreneurs are motivated by the need for independence, a sense of accomplishment and control over their lives, reflecting the achievement of these women in challenging their socio-cultural expectations. Pely (2010) found that even in a highly patriarchal setting such as the "Sulha" process, women tend to play a very significant informal role at each stage and their involvement is acknowledged by both genders. "Sulha" is a common process of conflict resolution adopted by Arabs (Muslims, Christians and Druze) (Pely, 2010).…”

“…Pely (2010) found that even in a highly patriarchal setting such as the "Sulha" process, women tend to play a very significant informal role at each stage and their involvement is acknowledged by both genders. "Sulha" is a common process of conflict resolution adopted by Arabs (Muslims, Christians and Druze) (Pely, 2010). A study of Western women living in the Arab world, the ethnographic investigation of Lauring and Selmer (2010), found that Danish spouses of male expatriates in Saudi Arabia who were not allowed to do paid work took on new gender roles.…”

“…For example, in this cultural context, women have no or limited financial obligations and it is their family's/husband's responsibility to financially provide for them (Tlaiss, 2015b), which can raise interesting questions about the traditional notion of "empowering women" (Abdelzaher and Bullough, 2013). This leaves women with a significant informal role (Pely, 2010;Lauring and Selmer, 2010) and raises a question about the relevance of Western-based models of women's empowerment and entrepreneurship in the Arab context (Metcalfe, 2008;Syed, 2008). Metcalfe (2008) suggests a 'sharia-sensitive' framework offering government, organizations and individual strategies to advance women's position in the Arab world.…”