Female Arab faculty staff in the Israeli academy: Challenges and coping strategies

Women’s Empowerment from the Perspective of Female Omani Academic Leaders

“…Globally, a substantial gender gap exists in terms of women's representation concerning decision-making and leadership positions across many sectors of society (Catalyst, 2016). Although the existing literature and research studies (Al-Wahaibi, 2017;Arar, 2018;Catalyst, 2016;Shah, 2017) confirm the ability of women to become effective leaders, they remain extremely underrepresented in leadership roles in many countries. At the global level, the Catalyst (2016) report emphasizes that "the higher participation of women in the labour force, and their increased employment rates, do not necessarily translate into greater gender equality" (p. 5).…”

“…Evidence also reveals that women, even in many developed countries, such as the United States, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, the United Kingdom (UK), New Zealand, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, "remain disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions in both private companies and state government positions" (Al-Wahaibi, 2017, p. 41). The struggle faced by women is powerfully evident in the Arab world, and Arar (2018) notes that an Arab "woman is still often perceived as subordinate to the man in the family and is largely excluded from the public sphere" (p. 313).…”

“…Despite the increase in the number of women in leadership roles in various industries around the world in general, and in the Middle East in particular, few have broken through to upper-level management and leadership positions in HE organizations (Al-Wahaibi, 2017). According to Arar (2018), "the last thirty years have witnessed a revolutionary increase in female participation in HE staff" (p. 314). However, this substantial increase is not reflected in the "growth in the number of women in senior leadership roles in universities" (Al-Wahaibi, 2017, p. 2).…”

“…Previous research relating to academia in the Arab and Islamic world (Al-Subhi, 2016;Arar, 2018;Shah, 2017) highlights the barriers that contribute to gender inequality in universities, and the GCC continues to lack growth in the number of women occupying upper-level management positions (Al-Wahaibi, 2017). While there is a growing body of research on women participation in higher education institutions, currently only a few scholars have highlighted the lived experiences of emerging and current female academic leaders in the GCC in general or among Omani faculties.…”

“…While there is a growing body of research on women participation in higher education institutions, currently only a few scholars have highlighted the lived experiences of emerging and current female academic leaders in the GCC in general or among Omani faculties. Most of management and leadership knowledge serve to enhance an understanding of "the different forms of bias, opposition and barriers impeding female access to leadership positions and the management of roles" (Al-Wahaibi, 2017, p. 3), but little is currently known about the factors that promote the access and progression of female academics in senior administrative positions at HE institutions in the Arab world (Arar, 2018), and a few whom discussed it within the GCC (Al-Wahaibi, 2017). In more specific terms, there is also currently no published literature regarding the lived experience of developing and current female Omani faculty members at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) (Al-Wahaibi, 2017).…”