Women in Business Leadership: A Comparative Study of Countries in the Gulf Arab States
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
International Journal of Cross Cultural Management
Volume
15
Issue
2
Publisher
Sage Publications, Inc.
Publication Date
7-14-2015
First Page
215
Last Page
233
Abstract
This scholarly study is the first to compare business leadership in the Arab Gulf states in terms of the presence of female managers in various positions. It documents the status of women leaders—senior executives and managers—through a quantitative gender analysis of 2805 private and publicly listed companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The study details the positions women hold within organizations and analyzes and compares these by country, business classification, company size, and ownership. The contribution to cross-cultural management is that these data on gender composition in the workforce highlight the low participation of women in business leadership as an issue. Furthermore, the study provides knowledge for cross-cultural managers about cultural attitudes toward women’s economic participation in this geographical area. The research offers helpful insights and important implications for government leaders in these countries as well as for educators, practitioners, and scholars who work to help prepare and advance women to leadership within this region.
Recommended Citation
Kemp, L. J., Madsen, S. R., & Davis, J. (2015). Women in business leadership: A comparative study of countries in the Gulf Arab states. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 15(2), 215-233.