Women in Healthcare: Barriers and Enablers from a Developing Country Perspective

Background : As the under-representation of women in management positions continues to persist globally, little is known about the experiences of women in the healthcare sector in the context of the developing Middle Eastern nations. In an attempt to address this knowledge gap, the current study explores some of the barriers that hinder and the enablers that foster women’s career advancement in the healthcare sector. To meet its objectives, the current study uses a relational approach that integrates the macro socio-cultural, meso-organisational, and micro- individual levels of analysis. Methods : Guided by institutional theory as a theoretical framework and social constructionism as a philosophical stance, the current study adopts a qualitative research methodology. It capitalizes on in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with women managers in different occupational fields, across the managerial hierarchy in the healthcare sector in Lebanon. Snowballing and purposeful sampling procedures were used, and the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis, focusing on identifying new, emerging themes. Results: The results of the study confirm the salience of discriminatory cultural values, gendered social roles and expectations in Middle Eastern societies, and illustrate their role as barriers hindering women’s career advancement. The results also portray the spillover effect of societal expectations and cultural gender stereotypes into the organisational realm, resulting in widely experienced attitudinal and structural organisational barriers. This study also illustrates how the enablers that facilitate and promote women’s career progression unfold amidst the interplay between the macro and meso factors, lending credence to the role of women’s agency at the individual micro level. Amongst the toll of barriers, Middle Eastern women navigate the patriarchy of their cultures and the discrimination inherent in their organisations by using their agency and persistence as they construct and negotiate their careers in management. Conclusion : This study provides new knowledge on the status of Middle Eastern women in the healthcare sector, a sub-category of female employees that to date, is under-researched. It primarily highlights the role of agency in building women’s careers. It also stresses the notion that the complexity of women’s careers in the healthcare sector can be best understood using a relational approach that highlights the intersectionality between gender, agency, socio-cultural realities and organisational boundaries

Unexpected lives: the intersection of Islam and Arab women’s entrepreneurship

This paper explores how Islam is understood by Muslim women entrepreneurs and considers its influence on their entrepreneurial experiences in the country-specific context of Lebanon. In so doing, we adopt a qualitative interpretative approach, drawing upon 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women entrepreneurs. Accordingly, we present empirical evidence detailing how Muslim women entrepreneurs utilise various aspects and teachings of Islam to make sense of their entrepreneurial decisions within the context of restrictive social and cultural practices. We thus provide insight into how women’s entrepreneurship interlocks with Islamic teachings and the restrictions imposed by patriarchal sociocultural values within the country-specific context of Lebanon. This paper advances entrepreneurship research by demonstrating how Islam unfolds as a source of inspiration and resilience for women entrepreneurs, if and when equipped with an Islamic feminist interpretation

The state of HRM in the Middle East:Challenges and future research agenda

Based on a robust structured literature analysis, this paper highlights the key developments in the field of human resource management (HRM) in the Middle East. Utilizing the institutional perspective, the analysis contributes to the literature on HRM in the Middle East by focusing on four key themes. First, it highlights the topical need to analyze the context-specific nature of HRM in the region. Second, via the adoption of a systematic review, it highlights state of development in HRM in the research analysis set-up. Third, the analysis also helps to reveal the challenges facing the HRM function in the Middle East. Fourth, it presents an agenda for future research in the form of research directions. While doing the above, it revisits the notions of “universalistic” and “best practice” HRM (convergence) versus “best-fit” or context distinctive (divergence) and also alternate models/diffusion of HRM (crossvergence) in the Middle Eastern context. The analysis, based on the framework of cross-national HRM comparisons, helps to make both theoretical and practical implications

Women in Healthcare: Barriers and Enablers from a Developing Country Perspective

Background: As the under-representation of women in management positions continues to persist globally, little is known about the experiences of women in the healthcare sector in the context of the developing Middle Eastern nations. In an attempt to address this knowledge gap, the current study explores some of the barriers that hinder and the enablers that foster women’s career advancement in the healthcare sector. To meet its objectives, the current study uses a relational approach that integrates the macro socio-cultural, meso-organisational, and microindividual levels of analysis. Methods: Guided by institutional theory as a theoretical framework and social constructionism as a philosophical stance, the current study adopts a qualitative research methodology. It capitalizes on in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with women managers in different occupational fields, across the managerial hierarchy in the healthcare sector in Lebanon. Snowballing and purposeful sampling procedures were used, and the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis, focusing on identifying new, emerging themes. Results: The results of the study confirm the salience of discriminatory cultural values, gendered social roles and expectations in Middle Eastern societies, and illustrate their role as barriers hindering women’s career advancement. The results also portray the spillover effect of societal expectations and cultural gender stereotypes into the organisational realm, resulting in widely experienced attitudinal and structural organisational barriers. This study also illustrates how the enablers that facilitate and promote women’s career progression unfold amidst the interplay between the macro and meso factors, lending credence to the role of women’s agency at the individual micro level. Amongst the toll of barriers, Middle Eastern women navigate the patriarchy of their cultures and the discrimination inherent in their organisations by using their agency and persistence as they construct and negotiate their careers in management. Conclusion: This study provides new knowledge on the status of Middle Eastern women in the healthcare sector, a sub-category of female employees that to date, is under-researched. It primarily highlights the role of agency in building women’s careers. It also stresses the notion that the complexity of women’s careers in the healthcare sector can be best understood using a relational approach that highlights the intersectionality between gender, agency, socio-cultural realities and organisational boundaries

Managerial advancement: The case of Lebanon

Despite the increase of the systematic investigations and scientific research regarding the career progress of women managers in the Industrial countries, knowledge about the special challenges that women managers in the Middle East and the less developed countries face is deficient.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Muslim feminists and entrepreneurship at times and in contexts of crises

This paper explores the coping strategies utilised by Muslim women entrepreneurs in the country-specific context of crises-laden Lebanon. In so doing, we follow a qualitative interpretative methodology, drawing upon in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women entrepreneurs based in Lebanon. Accordingly, we present empirical evidence detailing how Muslim women entrepreneurs utilise Muslim feminism and various Islamic practices and values as a means of coping with crises situations and contexts. We also provide insights into how the doing of gender unfolds as a coping strategy enabled by Muslim feminism in the advent of adversities. Hence, we underscore the importance of approaching religion as a social construct which is performed, as opposed to treating religion as something located outside the spheres of gender and economics