BUSS1008 Research Methods and Project Design

 

BUSS1008 Research Methods and Project Design

Study of Gender Discrimination Practices in Oman ABSTRACT This research aims to assess whether the level of awareness of gender discrimination affects the progress of women in Oman, where women are exposed to overt and strict gender discrimination at almost every stage of their careers. This research was designed as a descriptive study based on sample surveying, as 30 women and 30 men were randomly selected to complete this study.  The forms of gender discrimination have been eliminated since the Sultanate joined the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 2005. However, the issue of gender discrimination exists in different levels in some places, depending on the cultures, beliefs and traditions in Oman. The practice of gender discrimination has not been completely eliminated, as some companies illegally engage in such practices, which negatively affect the career advancement of the Omani women. This study highlights the root causes of the gender gap and its effects on women's progress in the country, as well as the impact of this issue on policy and policymakers. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Introduction: Gender discrimination is defined as a restriction or exclusion based on sex, and it has an effect in nullifying or impairing the recognition of women (Flabbi 2010). The depth and degree of discrimination against women in different regions, countries, races, cultures, economies, and policies are evident at different levels. Therefore, gender discrimination is considered to be a major impediment towards development. Most of the policymakers in the world are concerned about gender equality because of promoting economic growth and sustaining the development process (Healey 1993). In 1945, the issue of gender equality became the nominal goal of the international community. Subsequently, in 1948, the issue of gender equality and non-discrimination became part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and that was on December 18, 1979. In 2005, Oman joined the CEDAW in order to achieve equality between men and women, to protect women and to enjoy all their rights. CEDAW is an international women's rights document, which is considered to be a major success in achieving the equality (Hintjens 2008). After adopting several strategies and laws to promote gender equality and women's advancement, it is evident that there are some problems that are not properly addressed and women's status has not been improved as expected (Healey 2009). At present, many significant changes that aim to enhance the role of women have been observed at the national and international level. The gap between the genders has obviously shrunk, as the enrolment rate of women in schools and universities has risen, and women's participation in the labour force is higher than ever before. However, the practice of discrimination between women and men was supposed to decrease significantly as the development process helped to improve the status of women. In some societies, gender discrimination practises still exist and the women's movement remains restricted, for example, women's access to economic resources and opportunities is less than the men (Verloo 2007).  It is possible that the reason for this restriction is the lack of awareness about women's abilities, where they can also accomplish, innovate and be creative in different areas. This problem has caused many difficulties for women in order to progress professionally / functionally. Moreover, it has a negative impact on policy makers and even politicians. Therefore, a research on gender discrimination and gender inequality is considered to be very important to them, and is one of the topics that attracts social workers at the national and international levels (Toffoletti and Starr 2016). Project Aim: The present study aim to investigate on the relationship between the level of awareness of gender discrimination and the women's career advancement in Oman.  Literature Review: Unfair treatment on the basis of sex is defined as gender discrimination, which is a severe obstacle for many women as it affects their ability to participate freely in the society (Danni et al. 2013). Discrimination is a form of inequality that has clearly emerged in the past and has been practiced directly and indirectly, depending on cultural, social and religious differences in each country (Palmer 1995). Women have been and still face some types of gender discrimination which can be divided into 4 main types as follows: Direct discrimination: It can be observed when a person is treated on a gender basis in a bad or unfair manner, where they treat  men differently and do not respect women. For example,  preventing females from entering a specific field of study which is available for males only. Although females may be capable to study in that field and be successful in it (Hodson 1950).  Indirect discrimination: This type of discrimination occurs when an organization or a company follows a gender justice system or policy but somehow puts an employee at a disadvantage because of that person's gender (Hodson 1950). For example, the company manager decides that the working time will be from 8 am to 5 pm rather than 3 pm. Female employees who have children will face difficulty in collecting their children from school or childcare centres. Indirect gender discrimination can be allowed to occur if the company or the manager can prove that there is a good reason behind this policy and this is known as objective justification (Eade 2014). Harassment: Gender-related harassment is divided into three types  as follows: The first type is for all protected characteristics, and it is when a person feels offended, humiliated or deteriorated. For example, an employer comments that there is no point in encouraging females because they will eventually have children. Although the employer did not mean a particular female employee, but one of his employees was upset by this comment and she was concerned about her career, and this could be considered as harassment. The second type is the sexual harassments, which makes women feel humiliated and offended when treated as a sex object. Examples of this type are sexual comments, touching, abuse, including messages and images that are offensive to women, and all of this is called 'unwanted conduct of a sexual nature'. The third type is about unfair treatment when rejecting the other sex (men) requests. For example, a female employee is not promoted because she has rejected her manager's request, which does not have any connection with the job and is outside the job domain.      (Singh 2009). Victimisation: This can be defined as unfair and abusive treatment because of a complaint on gender discrimination under the Equal Status Act. This can also happen when someone support a person who has submitted a gender discrimination complaint. An example of this is when a female employee supports her friend to file a gender discrimination complaint in the labor court,  as she was abused. After that the male employees start discarding, abusing and treating both of them in a bad manner (Green 2009).  The Sultanate has given great importance to international conventions and treaties, especially those concerned with human rights. This is confirmed by the Basic Law of the State (Constitution) in the political principles of the state policy (Hintjens 2008). The Sultanate has acceded to four basic human rights conventions, which are the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Protocols,  and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Chitme et al. 2016). Furthermore, "Gender equality is regarded to be one of the core factors of any democratic society and the facilitator of economic growth and social well-being" (Ngaba 1995). Oman joined the CEDAW in 2005, and accession to this Convention has created new developments in terms of women's rights and their protection, ensured the enjoyment of their rights and enabled them more fully (Al-Adawi et al. 2010). The CEDAW was the culmination of the effort of the United Nations Commission on the status of women for nearly 30 years. The Committee was established in 1946 to monitor the status of women and promote their rights. Their efforts have an instrumental effect as a means of raising and highlighting all the areas where women are denied equal treatment with men. On 18 December 1979, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and entered into the implementation phase on September 3, 1981 as an international convention (McPhedran 2000). The level of gender discrimination has been reduced by raising awareness, as the enrolment rate of women, opportunities for employment and participation in the society have increased. Despite these gains, the gender gap in addition to some forms of discrimination still exist (Heathcote 2014). In some societies, culture, norms, and beliefs play a role in making men lessen the inferiority of women. They believe that women should take care of their children and homes, and that they are not qualified in anything else (Terry 2009).  Gender discrimination has been practiced illegally in some workplaces, as it can be direct or indirect. These practices continue appearing because of the silence of some women, as they are enduring the abuses and comments, which is because they know that it is difficult to find another job nowadays, or they do not have the courage to go to the police station or the court to file a complaint (Bhatt 2013). More so, one of the disadvantages of gender discrimination is the loss of female staff to the motivation and morale required to perform their duties in a proper manner. Female staff sometimes face jokes about their sex and some of these jokes may be offensive and cause a loss in the productivity (Armstrong 2002). Although there are laws that prohibit gender discrimination in the workplace, whether by colleagues or managers, it continues to appear ! Women account for over half of the world's population, but their contribution to the measured levels of economic activity, growth and well-being remains far below the potential level, with dire macroeconomic consequences (Jonsson 2011). Despite the significant progress in the past few decades, labor markets around the world are still divided on the basis of gender. The progress in gender equality seems to have already stalled. Female participation in the labor market continued to be lower than that of men, and women also face significant wage differences with their male counterparts. In many countries, distortions and discrimination in the labor market limit wage options for women, and female representation remains low in senior positions and entrepreneurship (Anon 2011). The challenges of growth, job creation and integration are closely intertwined. While growth and stability are prerequisites for women's opportunities, their participation in the labor market is also part of the equation of growth and stability. Specifically, the high rate of female participation in the labor force can boost growth in rapidly aging economies by reducing the impact of labor force contraction. Improved opportunities for women can also contribute to the expansion of economic development in developing economies (Fisanick 2011). Reducing the gap between women and men will achieve equality, which in turn will yield tangible gains. The presence of women employees has a positive impact on the corporate performance. Their presence in boards and senior management positions will bring new strategies and ideas that may be better suited in serving women-dominated consumer markets (Connolly 2007). In addition, increasing the number of women in decision-making positions could reduce the proportion of high-risk financial transactions typically carried out by male traders (Hart 2005). Research Questions What are the forms/types of discrimination between men and women in the workplace? How do employees perceive gender discrimination in their workplace? What is the level of awareness and recognition of gender discrimination in Oman? How can gender discrimination be a recognized barrier to women's career advancement? Project Objectives To estimate gender bias in the workplace. To find the determinants that cause gender gap in the workplace. To measure the level of awareness of gender discrimination in Oman.  To prove that women have a great presence in the business world and in the country as a whole.  Proposed Methodology In this study, the researcher investigates the level of employees' awareness of gender discrimination and its impact on the career advancement of Omani women. The researcher will focus on both men and women to find out their level of awareness and how important this issue is to them. To obtain the necessary data to complete the research, the researcher will use the following methodology: Interviews: It is a tool for collecting data, information and evidences on a subject. In interviews, responses or replies are usually not quantitative as in questionnaires, which are mostly closed ended. Moreover, the interviewer should consider the interviewee, the type of questions, the type of information he/she wants to collect, and the type of interview that will help him/her do so (García 2011). The interview will help the researcher to get accurate data, because face to face interviews will reduce the possibility of providing false or misleading information. In addition, the interviewer can make the interviewee focus on the questions, and the interviewer can learn a lot through the interviewee 's body language, behavior, and feelings towards the questions (Coolican 1999). Focus Groups: The focus group can be defined as a selected group of people who are engaged in a discussion on a particular subject to reach new conclusions. This method allows the group members interact, as their influence on each other during the discussion may result in new ideas and perspectives. Furthermore, the focus group method is flexible and will help the researcher obtain data from individuals from different fields but their interest is constant. For example, employees from different departments or customers of a company. The aim of these groups is not to reach an agreement but to collect different information and opinions (Casey 2006). Observation: Through this method the researcher can monitor and observe what people actually do and say, since people are not always free to write their views or to complete the questionnaires. The researcher can go to a specific place and monitor the actions surrounding him/her to reach conclusions that benefit the research. Observation reduces the researcher's attempt to predict what will happen, improves the quality of the analysis, and provides more reliable information than the self-report (Hatzor 2003). Questionnaire: The questionnaire is an easy way to collect information from a large group of people, which may be quantitative, objective or postal. They are easy to deliver, quick to fill, and fast to combine. The researcher should know how to make the questions appropriate to be implemented effectively, to obtain useful responses and make conclusions  after analyzing the results (Coolican 1999). Moreover, a topic like knowing the level of awareness of gender discrimination in Oman needs to reach a large group of people, and because the time of completing the project is short, this method is considered the ideal method for the researcher. Bibliography Al-Adawi, S., Al-Zakwani, I., Obeid, Y. and Zaidan, Z. (2010) "Neurocognitive Functioning In Women Presenting With Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorders In Oman". Psychiatry And Clinical Neurosciences 64 (5), 555-564 Anon (2011) Constituting Equality. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ Press Armstrong, C. 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(2016) "Women Academics And Work-Life Balance: Gendered Discourses Of Work And Care". Gender, Work & Organization 23 (5), 489-504 Verloo, M. (2007) Multiple Meanings Of Gender Equality. New York: CEU Press Timeline and Budget Project Budget: H/W and S/W Required Quantity Cost Laptop 1 300 OMR Wi-Fi cost - 20 OMR (Monthly) Hard disk 1 30 OMR Microsoft Office (MS Word - MS PowerPoint – MS Project – MS Excel) - 10 OMR SurveyMonkey - 13 OMR (Monthly) Papers 50 5 OMR Timeline: Task Name Start Date Duration Submiting Work Proposal  18-Nov 1 Project Title & Abstract 19-Nov 2 Background of Study 21-Nov 5 Research Questions 26-Nov 2 Project Objectives 28-Nov 2 Proposed Methodology 30-Nov 3 Bibliography 3-Dec 2 Duration 5-Dec 2 Costs 7-Dec 2 Submiting Project Proposal 9-Dec 1 Introduction 12-Dec 3 Literature Review 15-Dec 6 Data Collection & Analysis 21-Dec 3 Methodology 24-Dec 3 Conclusion 27-Dec 2 Recommendations 29-Dec 2 Final Submission 31-Dec 1