Debunking myths surrounding women’s careers in the Arab region : a critical reflexive approach

Abstract

In this chapter, and stemming from our position as academic researchers and as women living and working in the Arab Region, we engage in a critical reflexive exercise that echoes our feminist standpoint. We aim to tackle and debunk some of the assumptions that often underpin research on women’s careers in our region. Such assumptions may find strong support in a Western context, but they do not necessarily hold in a different socio-cultural and political context. We therefore highlight foundational points of departure often assumed to be relevant for women pursuing careers generally, and we provide evidence to suggest that many of these points are not necessarily ‘true’ for women working in many countries of the Arab world. By so doing, we hope to raise awareness about women’s real lived experiences and ongoing employment- and career-related struggles. We believe that gaining awareness of these realities is an important first step towards generating meaningful knowledge and fostering transformation in regard to women’s employment- and career-related realities in the region.