Employment feminization, human resource management and gendered employment relations in Saudi Arabia

Pronounced gender segregation and inequality evident in Saudi Arabia reflect profoundly patriarchal socio-cultural norms and values that have traditionally regulated women's roles and aspirations. Yet greater employment feminization has potentially notable implications for human resource management. In this context, the research investigates how women's labour power is managed in Saudi firms. For this purpose, the paper derives a gendered employment relations approach, one which treats the employment relationship as a ‘structured antagonism’ and incorporates a ‘gender lens’. Using data collected from women workers and managers in five Saudi firms, the paper illuminates the dynamics of gender and the employment relationship. In particular, it points to the growing dependency of Saudi firms on women's labour power, the importance of women workers’ agency and interests, the workplace tensions arising as a consequence and the presence of distinctive kinds of accommodation. The paper's main contribution is to demonstrate how the management of women's labour intersects with prevailing socio-cultural norms to influence the dynamics of gendered employment relations.