10th ASHRM International Conference &

Exhibition

HR is Business

29-31 March 2010

“How do Qatari Females Make it to the Top?

An examination of the Organizational

Constraints to their Advancement”

Hend Al Muftah

QU, Qatar

Agenda

Introduction

QF at Labor Force

Methodology

Findings & Results

Conclusion

What’s next?

Q & A

To start with……….

“Women without her man is nothing”

Use the right punctuations?

Males wrote…

Women, without her man, is nothing

Females wrote…

Women: without her, man is nothing

1. Introduction

For many decades, women worked in a

Relatively low-paying (vertically

segregation as admin & clerical jobs)

Predominantly female jobs (horizontally

segregation as teaching & nursing jobs)

Women who chose non-traditional jobs faced

some obstacles at their workplaces as isolation,

limited access to training opportunities &

promotion

Analyses of the gender pay gap &

occupational segregation focused on:

Gender-specific … family commitments

Gender-differences … qualifications or labor

market treatment of similarly qualified

individuals

1. Introduction…cont.

Glass Ceiling

1%-5%

ILO, 2004

Arabian world

5% in Lebanon & Qatar

7% in KSA

11% in Kuwait

12% in Oman

1. Introduction…cont.

Glass

Ceiling

At the Western countries…Gender-specific &

gender-differences have failed to explain the

poor progression of women in management

Failure was due to organizational

factors as:

preference for male candidates in

recruitment/promotion/assignments

pay differences

limited training/promotion opportunities

2. QF at labor Force

QF attained soaring levels of education

QF 18% of total workforce in 2007

83% in education & 72% in health

5% of QF are at managerial positions

Contributing factors were mainly

Social & cultural aspects

“gender-specifics & gender-differences”

BUT NOT Organizational factors!!!

Why Not??

Equal opportunity … constitution

Leadership support

Changing role of women at Qatari

society

3. Methodology…Hypothesis

H1 QF have good representation at the

investigated organizations at all managerial

levels.

H2 Selection and recruitment for managerial

positions is based on equal opportunities and

criteria for both males & females.

H3 Organizational polices of working hours,

compensation, training, engagement in

critical projects and promotion do not

differentiate between females and males.

4. Findings & Results

74% of respondents are males

61% recruits currently ONLY between

1-10 QF at managerial positions…13%

not all

85% lower management, 55%

supervisory management

3. Findings & Results…SelectionCriteria: equal opportunities …

QFs’ managerial & leadership skills &

competencies (52%)

QFs’ right for the position advancement

(52%).

Barriers to recruiting QF

Interviewed Females …Stereotyping & negative

preconceptions of women’s role & abilities

(89%)

Interviewed Male ...Commitment to personal &

family responsibilities (91%)

In terms of position’s type Admin/Technical, 52%

does not differentiate between F/M

44% preferred admin positions

4% preferred technical positions !!! 58% of

engineering students are females…% is

37% preferred F candidates for managerial

positions:

more productive (59%), more committed (57%)

more creative and innovative (50%)

more educated and knowledgeable (39%)

more strict to policies and procedures (30%)

3. Findings & Results…selection

63% preferred M candidates:

mix-gender environment (100%)

more committed to working hours (80%)

more committed to work responsibilities

(40%)

more educated and knowledgeable (20%)

wiser in making work-related decisions

(20%)

3. Findings & Results…Selection

69.5% active participation of QF in

Developmental Projects in their organizations

Equal working hours & compensation policy

Differences in allowances due to government

policies:

Housing/national allowance

Training: 73% managerial & 80% technical

3. Findings & Results…policies…

3. Findings & Results… Promotion

Over the last 3 years, 57% promoted less

than 5 QF & 14% promoted more than 20

QF

64% of QF at were promoted to head

section

45% promoted to unit head

23% to department director

18% to general manager.

NO SINGLE QF PROMOTED FOR CEO

POSITION

“This position is not a real challenge to the

QF taking into account her astonishing

educational attainment and amazing talents

and competencies. However, such position

require some kind of scarifying from her

family side and more commitments in terms

of longer working hours and many business

trips”

NO SINGLE QF PROMOTED FOR CEO

POSITION

“Women work fewer hours and

experienced more career

interruptions, mostly due to family

demands and maternity leave, and

both factors worked against

women's progression in the past

and in the present”.

78% No barriers

22% have barriers as follow:

long working hours (80%)

business meeting off the workplace (80%)

abroad business trips (60%)

interacting with males (60%)

non-English proficiency (20%)

3. Findings & Results…Barriers

4. ConclusionQF are well represented in the medium & lower

levels of management, however, they are still

lagging behind the QM in reaching the senior

management levels.

Absence of any discrimination in

selecting/recruiting QF candidates for the

managerial positions.

Absence of any discrimination in terms of policies,

compensation, & training

Slow rate of QF promotion

5. What’s Next ?

Gender-specific & gender differences

NOT

organizational factors are the major

factors that hinder QF from their

career advancement …

So,,,,

Education…Vocational and lifelong

learning opportunities for QF through their

organizations.

Supportive infrastructure, gender-

sensitive, HR strategies, that will facilitate

female’s participation in the senior

management positions.

Review of labor laws & regulations as

family-friendly policies (flexible working

hours, child care facilities, etc.)

Thanks for your

attention

Q & A