Women’s Employment Journey in Danish Multinational Enterprises in the Arab Middle East
Name of applicant
Claudia Eger
Title
Associate Professor
Institution
Copenhagen Business School
Amount
DKK 4,998,722
Year
2023
Type of grant
Semper Ardens: Accelerate
What?
This research project explores the complex intersection between gender and religion in the development of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practices and policies in Danish multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the Arab Middle East. It develops a novel EDI model in relation to Islam, proposing that respect offers an alternative approach to improve women’s workplace integration in Danish MNEs.
Why?
While organizational scholars have dealt extensively with issues of cross-cultural management and gender inequality, religion is generally not addressed and poorly considered when it comes to managing diversity. Thus, Danish MNEs that commit themselves to an EDI agenda, find themselves in a paradoxical situation with limited models on how to practice EDI, particularly in the Arab Middle East.
How?
The project adopts a threefold approach to study respect as i) inclusion/exclusion based on an intersectional analysis of gender, respect and leadership, ii) a practice through an ethnography of women’s employment journey, and iii) a policy by studying EDI processes through textual analysis and workshops with managers to develop organizational policies in collaboration with Danish MNEs.