Our bodies, our minds, our men: working South Asian women

Abstract

Purpose -This paper is a guest editorial piece in the Special Issue of the Gender in Management journal on "Gender equality at work in South Asia". In this paper, the authors aim not only to introduce the papers selected for the Special Issue but also to offer an overview of the current state of female employment, economic activity and gender equality at work in countries in South Asia. Design/methodology/approach -The paper offers a review of extant literature and macro-economic data on gender equality in employment and management in South Asia. Findings -Four stories emerge: firstly the pervasive existence of structural and institutional barriers such as patriarchal ideologies reinforced by gender inegalitarian interpretations of holy texts; secondly women's limited access to education and skill development; thirdly lack of non-agricultural employment and economic resources resulting in economic dependence on men and sex-based division of labour; and fourthly the development and joy of agency where there is facilitation and nurturance of women. Originality/value -This Special Issue is probably the first ever collection of journal articles focused on gender equality at work in the South Asia region.

Sacred activism through seva and khidmat: Contextualising management and organisations in South Asia

“…The roles of women and men in South Asian context are historically perceived as complementary instead of competing. Although certain patriarchal traditions within Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and other faiths are known to have adverse implications for women in terms of employment choices and opportunities, there is also evidence of informal and formal positive action in support of women (Pio & Syed, 2013). The emphasis in almost all South Asian communities is on a traditional family where the woman or mother has a key role, at times a major role in important decisions about the home and family.…”

Paradox of gender and leadership in India: a critical review of Mardaani

“…This is also true of India where the historical source of women's weak position may be traced to traditional cultural and religious practices, and even today societal norms and routines tend to relegate women to positions of invisibility and disempowerment (Kumar, 2015;Pio & Syed, 2013). In fact, more than 90% of female workers in India are estimated to be employed in the informal labour market (Singh & Gupta, 2011).…”

Exploring Women’s Multi-Level Career Prospects in Pakistan: Barriers, Interventions, and Outcomes

“…Another recent report from the International Labor Organization has mentioned Pakistan as worst in terms of the gender pay gap (Varela, 2018). According to Pio and Syed (2013) almost four out of every five Pakistani adult females do not represent the work force. The situation for educated and qualified women is not so different, since only about 25% of Pakistani women, who have a university degree, work outside the home (Tanaka and Muzones, 2016).…”

“…At the macro level, issues like expected social roles (Weyer, 2007; Loots and Walker, 2015; Al-Asfour et al, 2017), cultural values (Ali, 2013; Ghouse et al, 2017; Syed et al, 2018), patriarchal ideology, religion (Ali, 2013; Pio and Syed, 2013; Syed and Ali, 2013; Al-Asfour et al, 2017; Syed et al, 2018), legislative and national level policies (Ghouse et al, 2017; Nielsen, 2017b; Syed et al, 2018) are significant to consider. These issues impact the stiffness of customs for gender role correspondence and socialization (Eagly, 2013) which shape gender dissimilarities in actions that are embedded in social norms regarding capability and anticipated behaviors/roles of men and women at the workplace and in society (Kossek et al, 2016).…”