Insights on women’s labor participation in Gulf Cooperation Council countries
Janet Y. Murray and
Yingying Zhang-Zhang
Business Horizons, 2018, vol. 61, issue 5, 711-720
Abstract:
In analyzing the many stereotypes surrounding Arab Middle Eastern women’s employment issues, this article focuses on women’s labor participation and their career development in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. We first unpack the stereotypes by demonstrating the progress of women’s labor participation in the region. We then uncover the critical challenges of a high female unemployment rate during GCC countries’ economic transformation in the non-oil sectors. We discuss the factors contributing to low women’s labor participation and the difficulty of career advancement for women, including (1) norms and traditions; (2) job opportunities and workplace discrimination; and (3) role models, mentors, and networking. Finally, we provide recommendations on how to improve women’s labor participation by involving the public and private sectors, deploying technology, and engaging in multilevel mindset change.
Keywords: Women’s career development; Gulf Cooperation Council; Gender inequality in employment; Gender roles in the Middle East; Women in the workforce (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:bushor:v:61:y:2018:i:5:p:711-720
DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2018.04.006
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