Crying more than the bereaved - Exploring women’s lived experiences of gender diversity management in a Middle Eastern Context

Chidozie Umeh; Asmahan Alsalman; Nelarine Cornelius; Mathias Ndoma-Egba

Crying more than the bereaved - Exploring women’s lived experiences of gender diversity management in a Middle Eastern Context

Chidozie Umeh^*, Asmahan Alsalman, Nelarine Cornelius, Mathias Ndoma-Egba

^*Corresponding author for this work

Management

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

Abstract

Many organisations worldwide have introduced gender diversity management (GDM) policies and practices to address the inherent disadvantages experienced by women in different sectors and national contexts. However, the diversifying potential of gender inequality experiences, where often, the availability of opportunities masks inequality of opportunities and capabilities for women, especially in the relatively under-researched context of the Global South, remains
poorly understood. This paper draws on Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach to explore women’s lived experiences of diversity and equality driven through human resource management (HRM)and diversity practices at the interface with the socio-cultural and historical context. We examine interview data of women who work in two organisations in the public sector of Saudi Arabia. Our findings suggest that in Global South organisations, GDM policies are likely to be monochronous, that is, acontextual, characterised by systems that deal
with manifestations of gender inequality one at a time and one point in time. However, the pace at which specific equality issues arise and should be engaged proactively by organisations and states, and women’s lived experiences, are polychronous. We conclude by discussing the implications of polychronous GDM for HRM theory and practice.

Original language	English
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 16 Mar 2023

Cite this

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title = "Crying more than the bereaved - Exploring women{\textquoteright}s lived experiences of gender diversity management in a Middle Eastern Context",

abstract = "Many organisations worldwide have introduced gender diversity management (GDM) policies and practices to address the inherent disadvantages experienced by women in different sectors and national contexts. However, the diversifying potential of gender inequality experiences, where often, the availability of opportunities masks inequality of opportunities and capabilities for women, especially in the relatively under-researched context of the Global South, remains poorly understood. This paper draws on Amartya Sen{\textquoteright}s capabilities approach to explore women{\textquoteright}s lived experiences of diversity and equality driven through human resource management (HRM)and diversity practices at the interface with the socio-cultural and historical context. We examine interview data of women who work in two organisations in the public sector of Saudi Arabia. Our findings suggest that in Global South organisations, GDM policies are likely to be monochronous, that is, acontextual, characterised by systems that deal with manifestations of gender inequality one at a time and one point in time. However, the pace at which specific equality issues arise and should be engaged proactively by organisations and states, and women{\textquoteright}s lived experiences, are polychronous. We conclude by discussing the implications of polychronous GDM for HRM theory and practice.",

author = "Chidozie Umeh and Asmahan Alsalman and Nelarine Cornelius and Mathias Ndoma-Egba",

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T1 - Crying more than the bereaved - Exploring women’s lived experiences of gender diversity management in a Middle Eastern Context

AU - Umeh, Chidozie

AU - Alsalman, Asmahan

AU - Cornelius, Nelarine

AU - Ndoma-Egba, Mathias

PY - 2023/3/16

Y1 - 2023/3/16

N2 - Many organisations worldwide have introduced gender diversity management (GDM) policies and practices to address the inherent disadvantages experienced by women in different sectors and national contexts. However, the diversifying potential of gender inequality experiences, where often, the availability of opportunities masks inequality of opportunities and capabilities for women, especially in the relatively under-researched context of the Global South, remains poorly understood. This paper draws on Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach to explore women’s lived experiences of diversity and equality driven through human resource management (HRM)and diversity practices at the interface with the socio-cultural and historical context. We examine interview data of women who work in two organisations in the public sector of Saudi Arabia. Our findings suggest that in Global South organisations, GDM policies are likely to be monochronous, that is, acontextual, characterised by systems that deal with manifestations of gender inequality one at a time and one point in time. However, the pace at which specific equality issues arise and should be engaged proactively by organisations and states, and women’s lived experiences, are polychronous. We conclude by discussing the implications of polychronous GDM for HRM theory and practice.

AB - Many organisations worldwide have introduced gender diversity management (GDM) policies and practices to address the inherent disadvantages experienced by women in different sectors and national contexts. However, the diversifying potential of gender inequality experiences, where often, the availability of opportunities masks inequality of opportunities and capabilities for women, especially in the relatively under-researched context of the Global South, remains poorly understood. This paper draws on Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach to explore women’s lived experiences of diversity and equality driven through human resource management (HRM)and diversity practices at the interface with the socio-cultural and historical context. We examine interview data of women who work in two organisations in the public sector of Saudi Arabia. Our findings suggest that in Global South organisations, GDM policies are likely to be monochronous, that is, acontextual, characterised by systems that deal with manifestations of gender inequality one at a time and one point in time. However, the pace at which specific equality issues arise and should be engaged proactively by organisations and states, and women’s lived experiences, are polychronous. We conclude by discussing the implications of polychronous GDM for HRM theory and practice.

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