Grounded Approach to Women’s Empowerment: Understanding the Complexities
The Middle East has undergone profound social, political, and economic changes over time, leading to reconfiguration of the positions and status of Arab men and women in relation to the state and the economy. The COVID-19 pandemic, the Arab Spring, and the 2008 financial crisis have all had significant impacts, particularly on Arab women, who have become the focus of policies aimed at “empowering” them. Before exploring the relationship between women’s empowerment and public policy, it is crucial to understand the concept of empowerment within its context, through the perspectives and narratives of women themselves. This chapter examines the concept of women’s empowerment in the context of Arab Gulf states, with a specific focus on Qatar, by exploring the meaning and perceptions of working and non-working women and the role of religious beliefs, moral values, and family. A holistic and dialectical approach is used to understand the complex and multidimensional nature of women’s empowerment and to highlight the intersectionality between gender, religion, and identity in the region. A deductive and inductive logic is adopted, drawing on both theoretical literature and practical interviews to offer a conceptual and empirical contribution to the field of women’s empowerment.
Other Information
Published in: Women's Empowerment and Public Policy in the Arab Gulf States : Exploring Challenges and Opportunities
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
See chapter on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6006-4_2
History
Language
- English
Publisher
Springer SingaporePublication Year
- 2023
License statement
Copyright © The Editors and The Authors 2023. This Item is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Institution affiliated with
- Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
- School Of Economics Administration and Public Policy - DI