Women in management and leadership in Oman : a comparative analysis of career progression in the public and private sectors

Abstract

This study explores the advancement of Omani women into management and leadership roles, examining their current status and future opportunities in the public and private sectors. This is the first comparative study in Oman to examine how organizations reproduce cultural constraints while creating spaces for women’s career advancement. The main objective is to advance understanding the structural, cultural, and institutional factors shaping Omani women’s career paths. It also investigates the barriers that hinder their access to management and leadership roles and the strategies women use to navigate male-dominated leadership hierarchies. The study answers the focal research question: how and to what degree are Omani public and private sector organizations empowering women to take up management and leadership roles? The methodological approach is interpretivist and the theoretical stance predominantly that of Bourdieusian social theory. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with Omani women at different hierarchical organizational levels and human resource managers, and from organizational documents. Data were analysed using thematic analysis combining the methods championed by Braun and Clarke and Gioia. The analysis is guided by four sub-research questions, one for each empirical chapter. This study makes four main empirical contributions to the literature on gender and leadership in Oman and the Middle East. First, it shows that women’s leadership progression is still hindered by deeply rooted cultural norms and organizational biases despite government efforts to promote gender inclusivity. Second, it finds sectoral differences: public organizations maintain traditional hierarchies while offering cultural acceptance, and private organizations show progressive practices but sustain subtle gender biases. Third, it reveals that economic capital alone is not enough for career progression; instead, strategic accumulation and deployment of social and cultural capital are key to overcoming workplace gender barriers. The thesis deploys the concept of adaptive habitus to show how women modify their behaviours and leadership styles to balance traditional societal expectations with professional aspirations. Fourth, it conceptualises the leadership field as a contested space wherein patriarchal organizational structures, evolving policies and shifting societal attitudes simultaneously create barriers and new opportunities for women’s career mobility. The research extends Bourdieu's capital theory to explain women's leadership and social mobility in Oman, highlighting the importance of recognition and legitimacy within the v dominant organizational and cultural field. It refines the concept of habitus by adding gender as a primary axis of power, revealing that women's habitus is not only shaped by deep-rooted patriarchal expectations, but also that they develop a dual habitus through education, work experience, and policy change. The study demonstrates that social change is subtly dynamic, with new policies, social movements, and global influences constantly changing gendered power structures and creating new opportunities for women's advancement.