Employees’ Attitude Toward Women Managers in the UAE: Role of Socio-Demographic Factors

Authors

  • Mohammed Abdul Nayeem IBS Business School Hyderabad, ICFAI, India

Keywords:

Women Manager, Employee Attitude, Gender, Workplace, UAE

Abstract

This study aims to understand and examine the relationship between socio-demographic factors and the attitudes toward women managers in the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This research paper is an exploratory research and we have taken into consideration a basic framework to understand the relationship that exists among different factors responsible for different perceptions and attitudes toward women managers. The literature review has focused on the various overarching perspectives of women managers and the attitudes formed by different societal actors. The paper draws mainly from the Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura (1977). A sample of 213 employees was drawn to understand the relationship. The respondents were administered the well-established (Women as Managers Survey) WAMS questionnaire to get responses on various dimensions. Multivariate Regression Analysis using SPSS 26.0 version was applied to analyze the data.


The findings of the study are parallel to previous works such that age, work experience, and educational level found support to the hypothesized relationship whereas gender and marital status did not. Limitations and future direction along with practical implications and recommendations are also given to draw suitable inferences.

References

Afiouni, F., Ruël, H. and Schuler, R., (2014). HRM in the Middle East: toward a greater understanding, 25(2), 133-143. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2013.826911

Al-Ahmadi, H., (2011). Challenges facing women leaders in Saudi Arabia. Human Resource Development International, 14(2), 149-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2011.558311

Al‐Ali, J., (2008). Emiratisation: drawing UAE nationals into their surging economy. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy.

Ali, U., Khan, A. and Munaf, S., (2013). Attitudes toward women in managerial position in Pakistan: A comparative study. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 3(3), 373. DOI: 10.7763/IJIET.2013.V3.301

Babic, A. and Hansez, I., (2021). The Glass Ceiling for Women Managers: Antecedents and Consequences for Work-Family Interface and Well-Being at Work. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 677.

Balgiu, B.A., (2013). Perception of women managers. The difference of attitudes between employees and non-employees. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 78, 330-334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.06.353

Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory, Prentice‐Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Barhem, B., Younies, H. and Smith, P.C., (2011). Ranking the future global manager characteristics and knowledge requirements according to UAE business managers' opinions. Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues.

Bowen, C.C., Wu, Y., Hwang, C.E. and Scherer, R.F., (2007). Holding up half of the sky? Attitudes toward women managers in the People's Republic of China. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(2), 268-283. DOI:10.1080/09585190601102455

Cortis, R. and Cassar, V., (2005). Perceptions of and about women managers: investigating job involvement, self‐esteem and attitudes. Women in Management Review.

DeCarlo, L. T. (1997). On the meaning and use of kurtosis. Psychological methods, 2(3), 292.

Elamin, A.M. and Omair, K., (2010). Males' attitudes towards working females in Saudi Arabia. Personnel Review.

Gallant, M. and Pounder, J.S., (2008). The employment of female nationals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): An analysis of opportunities and barriers. Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues. https://doi.org/10.1108/17537980810861493

Gujarati, D. N., Porter, D. C., & Gunasekar, S. (2012). Basic econometrics. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.

Gulhati, K. (1990). Attitudes toward Women Managers: Comparison of Attitudes of Male and Female Managers in India. Economic and Political Weekly 25(7/8), 41-48. Retrieved August 2, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4395962

Hair, J. F., Page, M., & Brunsveld, N. (2019). Essentials of business research methods. Routledge.

Ibrahim, M.E. and Perez, A.O., (2014). Effects of organizational justice, employee satisfaction, and gender on employees' commitment: Evidence from the UAE. International Journal of Business and Management, 9(2), 45.

Itani, H., Sidani, Y.M. and Baalbaki, I., (2011). United Arab Emirates female entrepreneurs: motivations and frustrations. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.

Jackson, J.C., (2001). Women middle managers’ perception of the glass ceiling. Women in Management Review. 16(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.1108/09649420110380265

Kemp, L.J., (2013). Progress in female education and employment in the United Arab Emirates towards Millennium Development Goal (3): gender equality. Foresight.

Kemp, L.J., Madsen, S.R. and El‐Saidi, M., (2013). The current state of female leadership in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Global Responsibility. 4(1), 99-112. https://doi.org/10.1108/20412561311324096

Lathabhavan, R. and Balasubramanian, S.A., (2017). Glass Ceiling and women employees in Asian organizations: a tri-decadal review. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration. DOI:10.1108/APJBA-03-2017-0023

Lewis, K.E., (2010). Then and now: A longitudinal study of attitudes toward women managers. International Journal of Management & Information Systems (IJMIS), 14(5). https://doi.org/10.19030/ijmis.v14i5.10

Liu, J. and Wilson, D. (2001). The unchanging perception of women managers, Women in Management Review, 16(4), 63-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/09649420110392145

Madsen, S.R., (2010). The experiences of UAE women leaders in developing leadership early in life. Feminist Formations, 75-95. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40980985

Miller, K., Kyriazi, T. and Paris, C.M., (2017). Arab women employment in the UAE: exploring opportunities, motivations and challenges. International Journal of Sustainable Society, 9(1), 20-40. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSSOC.2017.085737

Mostafa, M.M., (2005). Attitudes towards women managers in the United Arab Emirates: The effects of patriarchy, age, and sex differences. Journal of Managerial Psychology. 20(6), 522-540. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940510615451

Omair, K., (2008). Women in management in the Arab context. Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues. https://doi.org/10.1108/17537980810890293

Omair, K., (2010). Typology of career development for Arab women managers in the United Arab Emirates. Career Development International. https://doi.org/10.1108/17537980810890293

Orser, B., (1994). Sex Role Stereotypes and Requisite Management Characteristics: An International Perspective. Women in Management Review.

Peters, L.H., Terborg, J.R. and Taynor, J., (1974). Women managers Scale:(WAMS): A measure of attitudes toward women in management positions. Journal Supplement Abstract Service of the American Psychological Association. No. 585.

Peters, L.H., Terborg, J.R., & Taynor, J. (1974). Women managers Scale (WAMS): A measure of attitudes toward women in management positions. Journal Supplement Abstract Service Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 4, 27. (Ms. No. 585).

Singh, K., (2003). Women managers, Perception vs Performance analysis. Journal of Management Research, 3(1), 31-42.

Stevens, G.E. and DeNisi, A.S., (1980). Women managers: Attitudes and attributions for performance by men and women. Academy of Management Journal, 23(2), 355-361. https://doi.org/10.2307/255438

Suh, J. and Hijal-Moghrabi, I., (2021). The Effects of Fairness on Female Managers’ Perception of Career Prospects and Job Satisfaction: A Study across Sectors. International Journal of Public Administration, 1-14.

Terborg, J.R. (1979). Women managers Scale (WAMS). In J.E. Jones & J.W. Pfeiffer (Eds.), The 1979 Annual Handbook for Group Facilitators, 79-84. San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer & Company.

Terborg, J.R., Peters, L.H., Ilgen, D.R. and Smith, F., (1977). Organizational and personal correlates of attitudes toward women managers. Academy of Management Journal, 20(1), 89-100. https://doi.org/10.2307/255464

Tlaiss, H. (2013). Women managers in the United Arab Emirates: successful careers or what? Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 32(8), 756-776. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-12-2012-0109

Women in Business, (08 March, 2020). Retrieved from Tlaiss, H. (2013). Women managers in the United Arab Emirates: successful careers or what?

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 32(8), 756-776. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-12-2012-

Women in Business, (08 March, 2020). Retrieved from httpsrd ‘glass ceiling’://www.zawya.com/mena/en/markets/story/Empowerment_Which_UAElisted_companies_have_women_board_members-ZAWYA20210308033535/

Downloads

Published

2021-12-31

How to Cite

Nayeem, M. A. . (2021). Employees’ Attitude Toward Women Managers in the UAE: Role of Socio-Demographic Factors. Journal of Comparative International Management, 24(2), 100–127. Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JCIM/article/view/32696

Issue

Section

Research Articles