Human resource managers advancing the careers of women in Saudi Arabia: caught between a rock and a hard place

In a bid to accelerate the modernization of its economic and social structures, Saudi Arabia has recently embarked on a set of ambitious reforms, including those aiming to advance the role of Saudi women in the economy and society. This study explores both how and the extent to which human resource...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of human resource management Vol. 33; no. 9; pp. 1812 - 1847
Main Authors Tlaiss, Hayfaa A., Al Waqfi, Mohammed
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Routledge 11.04.2022
Taylor & Francis LLC
Subjects
Ambition
Arab women
Arab world
Careers
Cultural change
Female roles
gender discrimination
Human resource management
Human resource managers
Human resources
Human resources management
institutional theory
Managers
Modernization
Partnerships
Policy making
Resource managers
Saudi Arabia
Senior managers
Sex discrimination
Social progress
Social structure
Strategic human resource management
Transformation
Vision 2030
Women
Saudi Arabia
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Summary:In a bid to accelerate the modernization of its economic and social structures, Saudi Arabia has recently embarked on a set of ambitious reforms, including those aiming to advance the role of Saudi women in the economy and society. This study explores both how and the extent to which human resource (HR) managers are involved in undertaking a strategic role in advancing women's careers amidst the changing legislative mandates. In so doing, we draw upon semi-structured interviews with HR managers and capitalize on the strategic human resources management partnership model and insights from Institutional Theory. Accordingly, we present empirical evidence detailing how the Saudi HR managers are experiencing a slow transformation away from strictly administrative tasks toward strategic partnerships in terms of reducing gender discrimination and further developing women's careers. However, this transformation is hindered by the varying speed of change among the cognitive-cultural, normative, and regulative institutions, along with disconnects between policy makers, senior managers, and HR managers. These disconnects unfold as institutional challenges hindering the transformation of macroeconomic goals into social progress and managerial practices that further advance the progression of Saudi women's careers.
ISSN:0958-5192
1466-4399
DOI:10.1080/09585192.2020.1783342