Gender and human resource management in the Middle East

This paper contributes to the limited management knowledge of gender and HRM policies in the Middle East, specifically Bahrain. This involves an assessment of how Islamic values have affected women's work experiences and also how Islam has shaped gender and HRM policies. The study is based on an assessment of 53 survey responses and 27 semi-structured interviews collated from female professionals participating in career development workshops held in Bahrain. The analysis reveals the growing importance of women's employment in the Middle East, and outlines how governments are devising national development strategies within an Islamic framework, to support women's advancement in the public sphere. The empirical data show that women experience career and development constraints on account of equal but different gender roles, and that gender or equality issues are largely absent from HRM organization policy. It is suggested that HRM policy development at the organization level should specifically address the issue of women's management training. The research suggests issues of women's rights are a key aspect of understanding the relationships of globalization, Islam and HRM processes in the Middle East and argues that there is a need for international HRM scholarship to incorporate gender issues in policy planning and development.