women in public admin rp3

8/6/2019 Women in Public Admin Rp3

1/12

PUBLIC ADM INISTRATION A ND DEVELOPMENT, VOL. 10, 209-219 (1990)

The changing status of women in management in the publicadministration of Saudi ArabiaMONIRAH RAWAF

Institute of Public Administration, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

SUMMARYThis paper is a brief summarization of doctoral research which was recently completed bythe author on conditions facing the modern Saudi Arabian woman in her efforts to becomea part of the administrative structure of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.The first part of the paper is a brief historical account detailing women's participation inpublic administration and how it has evolved. The second concerns itself with those obstaclesmost commonly cited by female administrators as having an adverse impact on their jobperformance, motivation and advancement. The third and final section provides recommenda-tions to ameliorate barriers and broaden opportunities for women working in positions inpublic management in Saudi A rabia.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEIn a scant half century, Saudi Arabia has grown from a country populated by nomadicherdsmen to one of the most poten t forces in the modern world. With this progressionhave come tremendous gains in the areas of industry, transportation, health andsocial services, communications, education and business. The rapid advancementof Saudi Arabia within the sphere of 'developing' countries has afforded an unprece-dented number of employment opportun ities. Indeed, the need for trained manpowerto assist the country in the achievement of its goals for modernizing and improvingthe standard of living of its people is so great that there has been a continuingand chronic shortage of personnel. And yet, with all the opportunities that are avail-able in the public sector that did not exist even thirty years ago, the women ofSaudi Arabia are not able to realize their potential.There is, however, little doubt that the Saudi woman of today does enjoy a muchgreater participation in both education and employment than ever before. Priorto 1959, the only schooling available to a girl, at any level, was private and onlyfifteen primary schools existed within the kingdom. In 1960, the General Presidencyfor Girls was established at the behest of the government. It was organized underthe Ministry of Education and its mandate was to oversee education for girls. Atfirst there was a great deal of public and private resistance, but the governmentrecognized that education of its women as well as its men played an important


2/12

210 M. Rawafsupport notwithstanding, in the first years the cause of education for girls movedslowly. Asmore schools were built and people became satisfied tha t educating womenposed no threat to family life, support became more widespread. The cause of edu-cation for women in high schools and colleges followed a similar course althoughit happened somewhat later. Today, few if any would consider not allowing theirdaughter to attend elementary school and it is considered admirable if she goesfurther in her education.

Despite these advances, education for women still lags far behind education formen in degree and scope. According to official statistics for the 10 year period endingin 1982, female graduates accounted for only 26 per cent of total graduates despitethe fact that, during that same period, the number of female graduates increasedfour times faster than male graduates (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Government Publi-cations, 1985). Table 1 gives a breakdown of fields of study permitted to femalesand males. Of the 29 fields listed, less than half are open to females while onlyone is restricted for males. These restrictions serve to channel many of the femalegraduates into a relatively narrow range of majors subjects. Table 2 shows the distri-bution of the females graduating in 1983 by major subject. Of the 2,280 femalestudents graduating in that year almost half did so with a humanities major andanother quarter did so in education.

Regardless of the kind of degree, as the first women graduated from college theywere eagerly sought for positions within the government. The earliest opportunityfor women to work in the public sector came in 1960 with the advent of the GeneralPresidency of Girls described earlier. There were immediate positions for teachers,educators and administrators. The initial enrolments, however, were small and itwasn't until the mid 1970s that the budget was increased for both students andstaff (Hallawani, 1982). Because of the dearth of qualified personnel, filling eventhese few early positions was difficult, and it was often necessary to look to othercountries for appropriately trained staff. This situation was reflective of a nationaltrend which continues to the present time. The General Presidency for Girls becamethe first employer of Saudi women as well as the largest, a position it still holdstoday. In 1987 it employed some 48,000 women in various capacities (Labour ForceStatistics, 1987).Gradually, other opportunities in public administration, besides education, openedup for women, including social welfare and health services. The Ministry of Labourand Social Affairs was opened in 1961, and in 1963 offices for support of the women'ssector were initiated. These were charged with developing educational and healthservices in community development centres as well as providing public and privatewelfare services for women with concom itant employment possibilities.In 1977, Saudi women in the government civil service comprised 8 per cent ofall Saudi's employed. In 1980, this had increased to 10.2 per cent (Almana, Aisha,1981). In 1987, according to the published Labour Force Statistics (1987) 55,967

women were employed by the Government of Saudi Arabia. In addition to the Direc-torate of Girls, women's colleges, and health and social services, there are women's


3/12

Women in management 211Tab le 1. Fields of study opeti to female and male Saud i Arab ianstudents

AgricultureArabicArchitectureArt education insti tutesBotanyChemist ryCommerceComplementary studies CentresDentistryEnglishEngineeringEducat ionEconomicsEnglish courses for teachersGeographyHistoryIslamic coursesLawMass communicat ionMedicineMathemat icsNursingPhysicsPhysical education institutesPharmacyScience and math Centres for teachersTeacher 's night coursesSociologyZoology

Open tofemalesN oYesN oN oN oN oN oN oYesYesN oYesYesN oYesYesN oN oN oY esN oY esN oN oY esN oN oYesN o

Open tomalesY esY esY esY esYesYesY esYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesN oYesYesYesYesYesYesYes

Source: de Klee, M. (1983) p. 19.

Table 2. Female graduates from local universities assorted bymajor subjects in 1982-1983Major fieldsHumani t iesSocial sciencesEducat ionIslamic studiesEconomics and administrat ionNatural sciences

Saudi51198463100164161

Non-Saudi14723104264560


4/12

212 M. Rawafforce. Indeed, in this context they are undeniably significant. But when these figuresare contrasted with the 264,179 men who were employed by the government duringthe same time period, it becomes clear that the Saudi woman has carved a verysmall niche for herself to da te. Within tha t niche the scope of job s is similarly muchnarrower than those men occupy. Jobs available to women fall predominantly withinthree areas; education, clerical, and administration. According to the previouslycited Labour Statistics (1987), over 70 per cent of all positions held by Saudi womeninvolve teaching, with approximately 97 per cent of those centred around primaryand secondary levels. Clerical jobs follow with 18 per cent of all positions fallingwithin this category. Administration jobs account for less than 12 per cent of allpositions available.Within the category of administration falls a fairly eclectic group of job descrip-tions. Nearly any position that involves supervision or management of resourcesis categorized within this group. Although both specialist and generalist positionsare included, a generalist environment is the norm and it is not uncommon fora specialist to be required to perform as a generalist. This is a result of the sizeof the departments which, other than in education, are uniformly small. Withineach departm ent several hierarchies exist, three being most common. The lower eche-lon generally encompasses clerical workers while the middle and upper echelonsare staffed by specialists or administrators. The upper echelon administrator,although enjoying rather more autonomy than her western counterpart, in mostcases serves more as a conduit for major policy decisions taken by her male supervisor.She may organize her department in so far as day to day o perations are concerned,and allocate staff and resources to a degree; but decisions about policy, objectives,hiring, discipline and evaluation are most commonly the sphere of her male super-visor. Much depends on this individual. His perceptions, work habits and flexibilitywill influence how much of a contribution in these areas his women administratorsmay make.However prestigious the position a Saudi woman m ay occupy, however im portantsounding or seeming, in the final analysis it is never on a par with the most seniorpositions which Saudi men may aspire to.

OBSTACLES IN EMPLOYMENTCentral to any discussion of barriers encountered by women in Saudi Arabia intheir employment in the public sector is their traditional role in society. Saudi Arabiais a country for which much of its cultural heritage is based upon the tenets ofIslam as interpreted by Sharia Law. The Koran charges the male with the careand protection of his women folk and this responsibility is taken seriously by all.Throug hou t the centuries this has resulted in a culture very different in some respectsfrom the Western world. Women have occupied a distinctly separate place in thesociety but always beneath the titular authority and protection of the male. The


5/12

Women in management 213law stipulates what opportunities are available to women in public administration.These are nearly all isolated in the services sector where segregation of sexes ispossible. Although the law does not prohibit women from working, they are enjoinedfrom being employed in any hazardous occupation or one in which they are forcedto mingle with the opposite sex. The m edicalfield s an exception to th is.A woman in Saudi Arabia who wishes to work is not only under the jurisdictionof government regulations, but also does so only at the pleasure of her husband.He m akes the final decision regarding whether she may work at all and under whatcircumstances. When she begins her employment, it is always in a position subord inateto the male who retains the power to make policy, hiring and disciplinary decisionson her behalf. She is physically separated from her male superiors, sometimes workingin a completely different geographical location. Her only communication with themale section comes through the telephone and w ritten mem os.

This situation, while necessary to preserve the traditional structure of society,creates special difiiculties for women in their working lives. To determine what thesedifiiculties are and how they afiect job satisfaction and advancem ent, questionnaireswere distributed to 385 men and women working in governnient positions in Februaryof 1988 (Rawaf, 1989). These questionnaires examined attitudes about various aspectsof employment including the issues of segregation, hiring practices, training andadvancement opportunities and typical gender stereotypes commonly held by bothsexes. The respondents were drawn from middle and upper echelon employees work-ing in Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah. The response rate was poor, with only 66per cent of the women and 37 per cent of the men returning their questionnaires.Although reasons for this were not clear, it is probable that an unfamiliarity withsurveys and a high degree of centralization coupled with discomfort over some ofthe subject matter, particularly the issue of segregation, played a part. The datacollected from the questionnaires were augmented by personal or phone interviewswith upper echelon adm inistrators.

From this data two striking observations are possible. First, there was a greatdeal of agreement among the women surveyed concerning what constituted anobstacle in employment; and second there was a decided lack of agreement betweenmale and female respondents. This suggests that while problems encountered bywomen in public administration may be universal in nature, there is an imperfectunderstanding of what these are and what should be done about them betweenmen and women.This lack of communication, in fact, on all levels between men and women wasmost decried by the female respondents. Since cotnmunication between the maleand female sections of government agencies is also through an indirect route, thereis an air of formality in which every word or action is carefully considered yetopen to misunderstanding. Decisions are made by a faceless entity who is forbiddenthe immediate contact needed to really understand and evaluate the conditions ofthe department. If the woman has a supervisory problem, she must be able to articu-late it clearly and concisely in o rder to benefit from her superior 's experience.


6/12

214 M. Rawafin many planning and implementation decisions, even if they directly involve theirown section. This further exacerbates communication difficulties.The men, on the other hand, while acknowledging the physical barriers to comm u-nication, have a limited understanding at best ofth e wom an's position. Raised fromchildhood to make decisions without consulting a female, they have little conceptof the situation that exists in the women's section. The majority of men surveyedfelt that the quality of communication was adeq uate , while the quantity left somethingto be desired. The women, by contrast, wanted more two-way dialogue, clearer direc-tives and more timely information, suggesting that quality of communication wasof paramount importance. In addition to communication difficulties between thesexes, a number of responden ts cited poor comm unication between female supervisorand female workers as a problem.

Lack of autonomy in supervisory positions and the high degree of centralizationwas second only to comm unication prob lems as the greatest obstacle to job perform-ance according to the females surveyed. One frequently cited example of this wasthe hiring of female workers bymen without the knowledge, participation or feedbackof their eventual supervisors. The same holds true for disciplinary action, evaluationof work performance and setting of objectives. When describing their roles in thevarious institutes, agencies and institutions, words like 'figurehead' and 'robot' wereused frequently by many women. As one woman put it; 'women aren 't given authorityexcept in minute amounts but with this they are expected to produce great re sults .'

According to the survey, fully one-half of the men set objectives, participate inplanning and policy discussions and make other top level decisions. This contrastswith 20 per cent of females who set objectives, 9 per cent who set policy for theirdepartment and 6 per cent who make high level decisions. Centralization can beseen in both women's and men's sections. However it is more pronounced in thewomen's section because these sections are always further removed from the upperechelons ofthe hierarchy.Another barrier in employment stems from the poor preparation and selectionof women for positions, particularly with supervisory responsibilities. This barrieris a multifaceted one and includes the issues of education (type and amount), hiringpractices, and training and promotion opportunities. According to the survey, themale respondents were much more highly educated than the female respondents.Fifty seven per cent of all male respondents had received a master's degree withan additional 6 per cent having received a doctorate also. Less than 12 per centof the males had only a high school education. The females reported 36 per centhaving high school only, an additional 48 per cent having a bachelor's degree andless than 9 per cent having a post graduate degree. A relatively small number ofwomen had been educated in either administration or business (24 per cent), despiteoccupying managerial positions at the time ofthe survey. This represented a differenceof almost twofold between males and females. It was noted in the interviews thatinformation about prospective careers is not part of a college education unless thefield is highly specialized. There are no placement counsellors or offices where such


7/12

Women in management 215not possessing the requisite skills or education and the hiring of personnel basedon family or personal considerations. As noted earlier, only one quarter of the womenand one half of the men had been educated specifically for their position. Bothmales and females surveyed suggested that there are a significant number of positionswithin the sphere of public administration which are held by people who are under-or over-qualified. At least 50 per cent of each group surveyed indicated this wasthe case, with both groups suggesting that this occurred more frequently amongwomen.

When asked if personal relationships played a part in recruitment and advancementalmost three quarters of those who answered stated that it did. Nepotism is a naturaloutgrowth of thefiercefamily and tribal loyalty inculcated for centuries. Its poten tialfor adverse impact on employment standards, however, is clear.Opportunities for training and advancement are limited for women, especiallyin the many small sections that exist. There was agreement between both groupsthat training opportunities are disproportionately more accessible to men. Thewomen's branch of the Institute of Public Administration, which is the primaryorganization concerned with training, has only been in existence since 1983. Themale section had already been operating for 20 years when the women's sectionwas opened; so the women's section is accordingly much smaller inmanpower, budgetand therefore in training programmes offered.Similarly, opportunities for advancement were seen to be far superior for menby 80 per cent of all respondents. The obvious reason is that the number of positionsis far more limited for women. However the data also suggest that a differencein perceptions and expectations between males and females might also play a role.When asked to select skills necessary for prom otion there was disagreement betweenmales and females in their choices. Although both males and females cited competenceas the most important attribute necessary for promotion, there was no meeting groundon other criteria. Males selected 'male' skills of decision making and crisis manage-ment while females selected the 'neutral' or 'female' skills of serendipity or speakingskills.

The final major barrier seen to affect job performance is role stereotyping. Thisis a universal problem which affects women of Saudi Arabia to the n"" degree. Thesegregation they must practise according to Sharia Law affects their life in a myriadof ways. Having a lack of role models in the media, at school or in the workforce,and moving almost entirely in a society composed of women influences their percep-tions of themselves and their abilities. Men, having even less contact with womenother than relatives, have similar problems with skewed expectations and lack ofrole models in dealing with women as employees or colleagues. In the questionnairea series of questions was asked concerning perceptions of males and females. Whencomparing the 'male' skills of decision making, crisis management, assumption ofresponsibility, problem solving and supervisory skills, male respondents selected theirown sex as being superior in these areas. Most females selected males as superiorin decision making and crisis management while approximately half found malessuperior in assumption of responsibility and general supervisory skills. An examin-


8/12

216 M. RawafIn the realm of organizational barriers, four were cited. Having multiple linesof authority and being expected to conform to confusing and sometimes divergentexpectations was a complaint frequently expressed. The lack offlexibilityoccasionedby the absence of part-time positions and flexible scheduling contributes to clashes

between family responsibilities and employment. Along these same lines, the lackof day-care facilities, while not a problem to the same degree as in the west, isa concern in a society where more and more women are joining the workforce.Lastly, difficulties in transportation are an ever present source of frustration to womenworking in Saudi Arabia. As it is illegal for women to drive, they are dependenton male relatives or private drivers for transpo rtation to work. Mass transp ortationis seldom available and negatively viewed by most.It could be said that women in Saudi Arabia are suffering from some type of'future shock'. The educational programme and job market has grown so rapidlyin the past twenty five years that it has overwhelmed women with expectations andaspirations which are far from reachable. When one remembers that until twentyfive years ago women did not work outside the home at all, even the limited numberoffieldsopen to them now causes them to experience difficulty in adjusting.It is clear that adjustments will need to be made if the women of Saudi Arabiaare to take their place in the future of the country.

POSSIBLE REFORMS

It is necessary that reform programmes should be aimed at all stages of employmentfrom pre-employment education thro ughout the career ladder. The aspect of planningthese reforms needs careful consideration. This phase of reform is absolutely essentialfor success in the reform process. If planning does not accurately reflect the currentsituation or adequately predict the needs for the future, there is the danger thatthe reforms will be inappropriate of deficient. In addition to planning for broadobjectives, planning needs to be done for specific strategies to accomplish thesereforms. W omen should be given an active say in this planning as it directly concernstheir futures. This will ameliorate the deficient understanding that men have ofwomen's issues. A committee could be appointed by the government, to be composedof women, for the purpose of suggesting and conducting research into targeted areasfor reform. This same comm ittee could evaluate this research and provide the resultsalong with their recommendations to the government. They could also act as animmediate overseer during the implementation phase and provide continuing feed-back.

Another absolutely essential reform tha t needs to be addressed is tha t of educationfor women. This needs to be done on several fronts. Firs t, parity needs to be achievedbetween education for males and females. To accomplish this, resources need tobe distributed more equitably between males and females in terms of facilities avail-


9/12

Women in management 217tional deficits, women can play an important role in assisting the country to reduceits dependency on foreign employees.Additionally, more attention needs to be given to educational and career counsel-ling so tha t women still in secondary school have a clear idea of what their alternativesare, what the outcomes might be in pursuing a specific major subject, and whatwill be expected of them .In this same vein, the number of occupations open to women needs to be increased.Once these occupations are expanded, active recruitment must be done to ensurethat they are filled. Planning is important here, too. As an example, if educationis broadened to ensure that, as occupations are open, women who have been educatedtofill hem will be available. This will increase the chance of success for the reform.In the employment sector, there needs to be a greater emphasis on increasingthe formalized systems used to organize operations in agencies and departments.Minimum standards for each level of employment need to be determined and adheredto in hiring. If present employees do not meet them, programmes to increase theirskill levels should be mandatory. Job duties, conditions of employment and otherregulations governing employment should be developed where they do not exist,and updated where they do, and all employees not only given access to them butalso given training or orientation in interpreting them. Care should be exercisedto ensure that these regulations are as available and as pertinent for women asthey are for men.One of the greatest priorities for administrative reform is in the area of training.This is the key tha t will unlock m any of the doors currently closed to women. Trainingneeds to increase on all levels. Pre-employment training can be used for those indi-viduals whose education does not specifically prepare them for their job. This training,however, must be of such a quality and duration as to readily enable the recipientto do the job. It should not be in the form of 'band-aid' training designed to hidethe sore spots while beneath they continue to fester. Once a job is occupied, trainingprogrammes should be offered to women to familiarize them with their duties andallow them to understand clearly the expectations that their supervisor will haveof their performance. Thereafter, training should continue to be offered to improveperformance and allow the individual to attain higher levels. The training shouldnot be offered for its own sake but to achieve a clearly defined objective and shouldensure that it reaches all those targeted. The quality of the instructors is also aconsideration that needs to be addressed. If the instructors do not clearly understandthe objectives or are poorly qualified, the training will not be successful.

Perhaps the greatest need is for training that will provide managerial skills foradministrative staff. All too often the individual is promoted from a job she waseducated for into a supervisory position with responsibilities she has little understand-ing of. A prerequisite to such a prom otion should be attendance at managerial trainingcourses that include such topics as organization, personnel, decision-making, crisismanagement, etc. The training aspect of employment should be mandated and incor-porated as an integral part of the job and as a possible vehicle for promotion. With


10/12

218 M. Rawafserve as an incentive for women to improve their skill levels and increase their capabili-ties. This could be accomplished by increasing the autonomy of women's sectionsand making them less reliant on their male counterparts for decision-making. Whileit is accepted that policy will continue to be made by the top level of governmentwhere it must be expected that women will not participate, women may be giventhe brief of implementing this policy under established guidelines. This delegationwould allow greater fiexibility on the part of women and less reliance on men forroutine decisions. It would shift some of the burden of communication by decreasingthe low-level, routinized aspect of it and allowing more time and room for moremeaningful dialogue between male and female departments. This could be incorpor-ated first in the sections where women are most strongly represented, for examplein education, and then, as procedures are developed to incorporate this, extendedto o ther areas. A significant result of this would be the possibility of inducing a ttitud i-nal changes on the part of both sexes. As women gain experience, they will gainconfidence and will serve as role models for those younger women who are justbeginning. As men perceive that women can indeed be given a greater degree ofresponsibility and independence and trusted to discharge their duties well, they willbe less reluctant to allow women a greater latitude.

Another essential component of the reform process would be the establishmentof an agency to monitor these reforms, identify problem s, suggest alternate strategiesand enforce compliance with new directives. This agency could exist under the aus-pices of the Strategic Planning Commission and hopefully would contain both maleand female representatives. Although these members would rarely meet as a completegroup, meetings could be held with both men and women present if the womendressed and conducted themselves modestly. It would also be possible to conductmeetings using television and the telephone. This agency could sponsor the comm itteeof women discussed earlier as a conduit.Reforms that would address some of the organizational barriers that confrontthe Saudi woman working in public administration might include allowing a greaterdegree of fiexibility in the Civil Service. Part-time jobs might be initiated. Womencould be allowed to job-share or to workfiexiblehours. Many of the suppo rt systemsthat are lacking in other countries are offered to women here, for example generouspaid maternity leave, sick child leave and equal pay. To allow greater flexibilitywould pose little difficulty for a country which already provides so much. Qualityday-care tha t is central to the job or home is also an issue that needs to be addressed.Logistical support in terms of locating women's sections in departments closer tothe men's sections is another reform that might be done. Given the tremendousgrowth in the public sector care would need to be taken to ensure tha t such facilitiesdo not become obsolete before their date of completion.

The issue of communication is one of the most important. This area does notlend itself to reform as easily as other areas. Training programmes that improvecomm unication skills, with an emphasis on both transfer of information and listeningskills, is urgently needed. The commission detailed earlier could perhaps oversee


11/12

Women in management 219If even some of these recommendations are followed, an improvement in conditionsfor women in administrative positions could be expected. The time for such reformsis certainly now when women represent such a significantly under-utilized resourcefor Saudi Arabia. Even so, reforms will have to be undertaken slowly, bit by bit,

to be more than window dressing. If women become more competent in the roleof administrators, they will function as a positive role model instead of a negativeone. This will certainly help to effect a change in attitudes of both males and femalesabout the capabilities of women.The position of women in Saudi Arabia and administrative reform can be bestcompared to a toddler, who despite her tender age, has made tremendous gainsin a relatively short period of time and is now ready to learn to walk. As a toddlerplaces each foot carefully, and occasionally precariously, so too must the Saudiwoman advance her cause. With the support and benevolent guidance ofthe govern-ment of Saudi Arabia, this she will do.

REFERENCESAlmana, Aisha (1981). Economie Development and Its Impact on the Status of Women inSaudi Arabia. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder, Color-ado.de Klee, M. (1983). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 6th ed. (revised). Study International,London.Hallawani, Ebtesam (1982). Working Women in Saudi Arabia: Problems and Solutions. Unpub-lished Doctoral Dissertation, Claremont Graduate School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Labour (1987). Labour Force Statistics. GovernmentPublication, Riyadh.Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1985). Statistical Publication for the C ivil Service Sector in theGovernment of Saudi Arabia. Government Publication, R iyadh.Rawaf, Monirah (1989). Women in Public Administration: The Need For Reform. UnpublishedDoctoral Dissertation, Bath University, Bath, England.


12/12

women in public admin rp3

Documents