Women's Empowerment Strategies in NGOs in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-Exploring the ...

315 Pages·2015·1.91 MB·English

Women’s Empowerment Strategies in NGOs in the city of
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-Exploring the Complexity and
Challenges of the Cultural Context

Khadija Abdullah Nasseef

Submitted in accordance with the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
The University of Leeds
School of Sociology and Social Policy
April 2015
I

The candidate confirms the work submitted is his own
and the appropriate credit has been given where
reference has been made to the work of others.

This copy has been supplied on the understanding that is copyright material and that no quotation
from the thesis may be published without paper acknowledgement.

© 2015 The University of Leeds and Khadija Abdullah Nasseef

The right of Khadija Abdullah Nasseef to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
II
Abstract

This thesis explores the complex issue of women’s empowerment strategies in NGOs in
Saudi Arabia. The rapid social change, which has taken place in the recent years, has
transformed both private and professional roles for women in the country; it has created
new spaces and increased visibility for women. The empirical study employed a mixed
methods approach consisting of interviews and questionnaire survey. The analysis
identified five major strategies employed by Saudi NGOs to promote women’s
empowerment, which include: guests and events, building alliances, media, religion, and
framing women’s issues. The findings identified religion as a decisive influence in many
decisions made by NGOs regarding women’s empowerment strategies.
The analysis furthermore identifies contrasting views regarding employing the term
“empowerment” these reflecting the rapid social change and ideologies present in the
country. Ultimately, the thesis portrays the challenges NGOs face promoting women’s
empowerment which is equally reflected in the literature review and the empirical findings
of the study.
III
Acknowledgement

I am deeply grateful for the enlightening learning journey I endured during the course of
this PhD. At the core of my subject I have been empowered myself in every way through
this process with all the ups and downs I can see how it shaped me personally and
academically. I have benefited profoundly from this experience and it will be the start of a
new chapter of my life. I am profoundly thankful for my supervisors Paul Bagguley and
Yasmin Hussain for their generous support and professional guidance throughout the past
four years.
Huge thanks to everyone stood by me through the course of this PhD and the most gratitude
goes to my parents who have been my inspiration, motivating force and endless support. I
want to also thank my lovely husband who was a great support in many ways and shared
this journey with me. Also, I am grateful to my children the light of my eyes and the joy of
my life and the source of my inner strength. Many thank my other family members
especially to my siblings and cousins for the huge emotional support. I have been lucky to
encounter beautiful souls my neighbours and friends, Burnie, Natalie, Jane, Stephanie and
Claire who became my rock through it all. I am also thankful for the help and support of
my friend Eleanor who help me endlessly during the editing process of this thesis.
IV
Table of Contents

The candidate confirms the work submitted is his own and the appropriate
credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of
others. ................................................................................................................ 1
Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................... 3
Table of Contents ...................................................................................................... 4
List of Tables ............................................................................................................. 8
List of Images ............................................................................................................ 9
List if Abbreviations ................................................................................................. 1
Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................... 1
1.1 Research Context ......................................................................................... 7
1.2 The study’s contribution to knowledge ...................................................... 10
1.3 The structure of the thesis .......................................................................... 11
Chapter Two: The Historical and Social Context of the Study .......................... 14
2.1 The historical and cultural context ............................................................. 15
2.2 Factors associated with social change ........................................................ 18
2.4 Women’s status in Saudi Arabia ................................................................ 23
2.4.1 Education ....................................................................................... 30
2.4.2 Work and employment ................................................................... 33
2.3 Women and legislation .............................................................................. 36
Chapter Three: Women and NGOs in Saudi Arabia .......................................... 39
3.1 Non-governmental organisations ............................................................... 39
3.2 NGOs in Saudi Arabia ............................................................................... 44
3.3 Women and NGOs ..................................................................................... 50
3.3.1 Women’s NGO in Saudi Arabia .................................................... 52
3.4 Barriers for Saudi Arabian NGOs .............................................................. 56
3.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 58
Chapter four: NGOs’ Strategies for Empowering Women in Saudi Arabia .... 61
4.1 Women’s Empowerment in NGOs ............................................................ 62
4.2 NGOs’ Strategies ....................................................................................... 69
4.2.1 Guests and Events .......................................................................... 72
V
4.2.2 Building alliances........................................................................... 74
4.2.3 The media....................................................................................... 77
4.2.4 Religion .......................................................................................... 79
4.2.5 Framing Women’s issues ............................................................... 82
4.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 87
Chapter Five Methodology..................................................................................... 89
5.1 The aim of the research and researcher’s perspective ............................... 89
5.2 Research methods design ........................................................................... 91
5.2.2 Document analysis ......................................................................... 93
5.2.3 Interviews ....................................................................................... 94
5.2.4 The survey ...................................................................................... 97
5.3 Location and timing ................................................................................... 98
5.4 The sampling method ............................................................................... 101
5.5 Fieldwork preparation .............................................................................. 103
5.5.1 Fieldwork materials ..................................................................... 104
5.6 Data analysis ............................................................................................ 106
5.6.1 Transcribing the interviews.......................................................... 108
5.7 Ethical considerations .............................................................................. 109
5.8 Personal implications ............................................................................... 111
5.9 Limitations of the study ........................................................................... 111
5.10 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 113
Chapter Six: Guests and Events .......................................................................... 114
6.1 NGO Guests ............................................................................................. 115
6.1.1 Academics and professionals ....................................................... 116
6.1.2 Royals and elites .......................................................................... 120
6.1.3 State Officials, Community leaders and Celebrities .................... 124
6.1.3 Sponsors ....................................................................................... 127
6.2 NGO’s Events .......................................................................................... 129
6.2.1 Conferences and Forums.............................................................. 130
6.2.2 Public Events ............................................................................... 134
6.3 Difficulties and Obstacles: ....................................................................... 137
6.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 141
Chapter Seven: Building Alliances ...................................................................... 143
7.1 NGOs’ Relationships with other Organisations ....................................... 144
VI
7.1.1 Collaborative Relationships ......................................................... 146
7.1.2 Networking .................................................................................. 153
7.1.3 Sponsorship and Social Responsibility ........................................ 155
7.2 NGOs’ Relationships with the Government ............................................ 159
7.2.1 No Relationship ........................................................................... 160
7.2.2 Support from the Government ..................................................... 161
7.2.3 Collaboration with the Government............................................. 162
7.2.4 NGOs with an Influential Impact on the Government ................. 164
7.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 168
Chapter Eight: The Media ................................................................................... 169
8.1 The Roles and Functions of the Media for NGOs ................................... 170
8.1.1 Communication and Promotion ................................................... 171
8.1.2 Activism and Mobilisation ........................................................... 177
8.1.3 Influencing the Public .................................................................. 181
8.2 The Social Media ..................................................................................... 186
8.3 Image and Visibility ................................................................................. 193
8.4 Disadvantages of the Media for NGOs .................................................... 198
8.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 199
Chapter Nine: Religion ......................................................................................... 201
9.1 Religion as an Empowerment Strategy .................................................... 202
9.1.1 Religion as a Source of Inspiration .............................................. 203
9.1.2 Credibility and legitimacy............................................................ 206
9.1.2.1 NGOs’ uses of Religious Texts................................................. 207
9.1.2.2 Inviting Religious Guests .......................................................... 211
9.2 Religion as a tool for women’s empowerment ........................................ 213
9.2.1 The Reinterpretation of Religious Texts ...................................... 215
9.2.2 Religious Framing of Women’s Issues ........................................ 218
9.3 Professionalism and Religion ......................................................... 222
9.4 Misconceptions about religion ........................................................ 224
9.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 227
Chapter Ten: Women’s Empowerment .............................................................. 228
10.1 Women’s Empowerment Strategies ....................................................... 229
10.1.1 Empowerment Discourse ........................................................... 229
10.1.2 Framing Women’s Issues ........................................................... 235
VII
10.1.3 Building capacity ....................................................................... 241
10.1.4 Role of Men in NGOs ................................................................ 246
10.2 Changes in Society ................................................................................. 251
10.3 Limitations to Empowerment ................................................................ 255
10.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 262
Chapter Eleven: Conclusion ................................................................................ 264
11.1 A Discussion of NGOs’ Five Empowerment Strategies ........................ 265
11.2 Recommendations .................................................................................. 278
11.3 The Limitations of the Study ................................................................. 279
Bibliography .......................................................................................................... 282
Appendix ................................................................................................................ 295
Interview Guide ............................................................................................. 295
Participant Consent Form .............................................................................. 297
Information Sheet ................................................................................................. 298
Questionnaire for recipients/ beneficiaries: ................................................... 301
VIII

List of Tables

Table 6.1 .................................................................................................... 116
Table 6.2 .................................................................................................... 120
Table 8.1 .................................................................................................... 192
Table 9.1 .................................................................................................... 205
Table 9.2 .................................................................................................... 209
Table 10.1 .................................................................................................. 232
Table 10.2 .................................................................................................. 239
Table 10.3 .................................................................................................. 245
Table 10.4 .................................................................................................. 251
Table 10.5 .................................................................................................. 255
IX

List of Images

(Image 1) Map of Saudi Arabia ........................................................................... 100
(Image 2) NGO’s brochure .................................................................................. 180
(Image 3) NGO’s 8 event flayer ........................................................................... 184