A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF COLLEGE-EDUCATED QATARI WOMEN: FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE BOARDROOM

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dc.contributor.advisorCroninger, Roberten_US
dc.contributor.authorJacobson, Claireen_US
dc.contributor.departmentEducation Policy, and Leadershipen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2015-06-25T05:37:38Z
dc.date.available2015-06-25T05:37:38Z
dc.date.issued2015en_US
dc.description.abstractIn Qatar, a small Middle Eastern Country, bordered by Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, over 75% of college students are female but only 34% of the workforce is female. This qualitative study explores the paradox of highly educated and underemployed Qatari women through interviews with six college-educated Qatari women. To date, the majority of the research about the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) focuses on national- regional- and institution-level issues and not on individual experiences. There is a particular void in understanding the individual experience of Qatari women, even though there has been energy at the national level to create policies that expand educational opportunities, and to a more limited extent, workforce opportunities for women. Given this context, this study focuses on college-educated Qatari women's motivation for and experiences with higher education and workforce opportunities. This study found that this group of highly motivated and highly educated young Qatari women were entering the workforce, challenging the existing paradox; however, it was easier for some women to take advantage of educational opportunities than professional opportunities. Women faced challenges in negotiating professional and personal identities within Qatar's rapidly changing social structure, especially in terms of shifting gender norms. They experienced points of stress, especially in the workforce and in family relationships though they remained highly motivated to acquire additional education and succeed in the workplace. This study calls for further examination of these issues and of existing paradigms of women and work in MENA.en_US
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13016/M22P7T
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/16433
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledHigher educationen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledMiddle Eastern studiesen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledWomen's studiesen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledEmploymenten_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledHigher educationen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledMotivationen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledQataren_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledWomen in Middle East and North Africa (MENA)en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledWorkforceen_US
dc.titleA QUALITATIVE STUDY OF COLLEGE-EDUCATED QATARI WOMEN: FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE BOARDROOMen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

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