Papers and Chapters by Kaltham Al-Ghanim
his year marks the halfway point of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whic... more his year marks the halfway point of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were agreed in 2015, to be reached by 2030. As an independent group of scientists appointed by the UN to assess progress and recommend how to move forwards, we have a stark message: the world is not on track to achieve any of the 17 SDGs and cannot rely on change to happen organically. At the current rate of progress, the world will not eradicate poverty, end hunger or provide quality education for all by 2030-to name just some, central, aspirations of the SDGs. Instead, by the end of this decade, our world will have 575 million people living in extreme poverty, 600 million people facing hunger, and 84 million children and young people out of school 1. Humanity will overshoot the Paris climate agreement's 1.5 °C 'safe' guardrail on average global temperature rise. And, at the current rate, it will take 300 years to attain gender equality 2. Global leaders must act now to remove roadblocks and accelerate progress. This is the focus of our Global Sustainable Development Drilling down into why the UN Sustainable Development Goals are so hard to achieve, and showing policymakers pathways to follow, will help the planet and save lives.
Th is study is the fi rst of its kind using fi eld and documentary research sources. While offi c... more Th is study is the fi rst of its kind using fi eld and documentary research sources. While offi cial sources on the subject have proven the limitations of such data, the study uses a fi eld survey of a sample of 2,787 women students at Qatar University representing 4.4% of Qatari females aged 15–64 and 0.4% of non-Qatari females in the same age group. Th e study provides important indices and conclusions, e.g., a substantial percentage of the participants have experienced violence, with most violence occurring within the family, from family males such as brothers, fathers, or husbands. It also shows that some women were subjected to violence during childhood and adolescence. Th e study points to the lack of legislation and offi cial organizations to protect women from violence and suggests ways and means of dealing with the problem in Qatari society.
Almost all aspects of life in the Arab Gulf States, including family, have been touched by rapid,... more Almost all aspects of life in the Arab Gulf States, including family, have been touched by rapid, unstoppable social change. Nevertheless, certain aspects of the family remain intact. That is, although the nuclear family has in the past few decades tended to replace the extended form of family structure, family
still plays a powerful role in the life of men and women in the Arab Gulf States. Family still shows a high degree of unity, purpose, and integration among its members. Although the number of people living in the same household is shrinking, the connection among them remains strong and the value system that governs the extended family is still in action. Also, the hierarchy of authority and relations based on kinship still exists and plays a major role in individuals’ lives. The patriarchal social system, where men in the family have the ultimate authority and decision-making power in the household, has not been influenced by the rapid social change. Children bear their fathers’ names and adult women, such as wives, mothers, sisters, and aunts, are subject to the authority of men, such as fathers, husbands, brothers, and uncles.
This paper discusses the social and economic foundations of the hierarchy of authority in the Arab Gulf States’ extended families. Further, the paper explores the factors that determine social positions, roles, and expectations associated with family members, especially women, based on age, gender, and kinship.
Journal of Arabian Studies, Jun 28, 2013
Though transnational labor migration in the Gulf States has increasingly been of scholarly intere... more Though transnational labor migration in the Gulf States has increasingly been of scholarly interest, that scholarship has to date relied largely on qualitative ethnographic methodologies or small non-representative sampling strategies. This paper presents the findings of a large representative sample of low-income migrant laborers in Qatar. The data describe the basic characteristics of the low-income migrant population in Qatar, the process by which migrants obtain employment, the frequency with which this population of migrants encounters the problems and challenges described by previous ethnographic work, and the role played by nationality, ethnicity, and religion in patterning that experience. While the findings generally affirm many of the claims made in earlier ethnographic studies, they provide a means by which the extent of these problems and challenges can be ascertained more directly.
Papers by Kaltham Al-Ghanim
SAGE Open, Jun 30, 2023
This study analyzes the interaction and friction between tradition and modernity as experienced b... more This study analyzes the interaction and friction between tradition and modernity as experienced by Qatari women. We explore the experiences and perspectives of contemporary Qatari women across generations and their continuity and friction with the historical sociocultural past. The general aim was to discern and analyze the sociological reasons that encourage and/or inhibit women's participation in public life. The working hypothesis was that the purported friction between tradition and modernity was false and that the dichotomy could be demonstrably challenged through a systematic exploration of women's experiences, both past and present. Part of this task comprised qualitatively mapping the continuities between past and present generations of women. Another element comprised qualitatively mapping the perseverance and ongoing strength of gender discrimination in the ''modern era'' in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Social Science Research Network, 2010
Bloomsbury Academic eBooks, 2022
Berghahn Books, Dec 31, 2022
Sex Roles, Dec 17, 2016
Scant research has been conducted on gender in the Arab world; one explanation is due to a lack o... more Scant research has been conducted on gender in the Arab world; one explanation is due to a lack of Arabic measures on gender-related issues. To advance scientific work on gender in the Arab world, we developed the Arab Adolescents Gender Roles Attitude Scale (AAGRAS), the first known reliable and valid Arabic measure of gender-role attitudes. To develop this measure, we conducted two studies based on data collected from 776 high school students 15-19 years-old from the state of Qatar. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis produced 12 items divided equally into two subscales. One subscale assesses traditional gender-role attitudes, whereas the other measures egalitarian gender-role attitudes. Our findings indicate that young men are more likely to resist gender equality than young women are. Moreover, those who hold traditional attitudes are more likely to disapprove of women occupying positions of authority. The AAGRAS is a useful assessment tool that policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and educators can use to study gender-role attitudes in the Arab world and to develop educational and intervention programs that encourage adolescents to identify, confront, and avoid prejudice and discrimination against women and ultimately adopt more egalitarian gender roles.
Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, Mar 1, 2009
This paper proposes a vision of the re-discovery of Arabian Gulf communities' culture and a reviv... more This paper proposes a vision of the re-discovery of Arabian Gulf communities' culture and a revival of local knowledge in a bid to support, promote, and move towards a more sustainable future for the region. Information and skills about the local desert environment, formed over many years, traditional ways of doing things and methods for coping with the harsh environment, may provide invaluable insights into how the region in general, and Qatar in particular, can develop in harmony with its environment rather than against it. By championing local methods and cultural norms, natural resources can be conserved, biodiversity protected and natural environments restored. This paper explores local knowledge by referring to older local experts on some of the techniques they used to deal with environmental conditions. The study revealed that most of the old ways of dealing with natural resources take into account two basic elements: protection and support the environment to renew. These two concepts must be integrated within the goals of development projects in the region that are essentially suffering from scarcity of natural resources.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, Feb 1, 2017
The purpose of this study was to assess the Qatar population current perceptions about women righ... more The purpose of this study was to assess the Qatar population current perceptions about women rights: like spouse selection, education, and their attitudes toward women's new roles in Qatari society in transition period. Data was collected from responses of 1010 Qatari citizen participant in to a survey study. The survey results suggest that Qataris are responsive to traditional patriarchal gender roles of kinship family structures regarding roles that are suitable for women outside the household. The results found that the effects of modernization apparently do not pervade many traditional attitudes about gender differences, which influence women public participation.
Social Science Research Network, Sep 24, 2015
Despite growing international scrutiny and pressure, the six governments of the Gulf Cooperation ... more Despite growing international scrutiny and pressure, the six governments of the Gulf Cooperation Council states — with the exception of recent overtures from Qatar — have been unable or unwilling to do away with the highly controversial kafala system. This is due to a combination of reasons — historical, economic and political — that will continue to impact these countries’ abilities to substantively change the kafala system in the short to medium term.
This study examines the practice of arranged marriage with close relatives in Qatar. A survey was... more This study examines the practice of arranged marriage with close relatives in Qatar. A survey was conducted on 521 young males and females to identify weather youth attitudes towards marriage selection have changed and to what extent their attitudes are influenced by the traditional standards of the arranged marriage which is associated with kinship system. The study also reviewed many previous studies about marriage in the region, dating back to the last century, and compared them with the results of more recent studies and the current study. The study findings showed that the practice of this form of consanguineous marriage is common in the region, and remains common, in spite of the rapid modernization and urbanization of the region. The perseverance of these practices challenges some of the fundamental assumptions about the correlation between modernization and social change. From a practical standpoint, the perseverance of these consanguineous marriage practices also represents a significant risk to the societies in question, as endogamous marriage practices within a tribe result in high levels of congenital disorders. This study suggests the cultural foundation of these practices, and recommends that programs seeking to remedy these problems take aim at their social and cultural roots.
Contemporary Arab Affairs, 2013
This is a critical assessment of the intellectual and theoretical underpinnings of Feminism in th... more This is a critical assessment of the intellectual and theoretical underpinnings of Feminism in the Arab world across the different phases in its evolution. The paper notes what has been achieved in respect of some specific issues but takes the view that overall the movement has failed to transform the views, consciousness and situation of most Arab women. Attempts to incorporate and/or redefine women's aspirations and roles in Islamic terms are seen as having taken over from earlier feminist voices. Where these voices do remain they are confined to a narrow intellectual elite and have failed to galvanize or inform women across the socio-economic spectrum. The article concludes that the contemporary feminist movement is repeating the same errors as in the past by adopting intellectual perspectives that do not suit the intellectual, ideological and value foundations of Arab culture. There is a need, therefore, to revise the intellectual foundations of the movement and make a rapprochement between this current and the reality of Arab societies.
Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum proceedings, Nov 1, 2011
Abstract The study aims to analyze the situation of unskilled laborers, in order to identify thei... more Abstract The study aims to analyze the situation of unskilled laborers, in order to identify their problems and to make proposals to improve workers conditions. The study followed the development of presence of foreign workers, as well as analyzing labor laws, and their conformity with the Convention on International Labor and with human rights and applied a survey on random sample of 1114 workers in the construction sector. Interviews were conducted with groups of workers, and with employers. The Qatari labor law excludes workers in households, agriculture and grazing, which needs to be reviewed and modified, with some gaps exploited by the sponsor such as requiring the transfer of sponsorship with the consent of the sponsor. The National Commission for Human Rights monitoring reports find some workers, especially in the areas of construction, drilling and concrete working under harsh and unsafe conditions, with a lack of adequate health care. 8563 workers of different nationalities had submitted complaints to the Department of Labor, with wages arrears the most important of those complaints. The sponsorship system eliminates some of the code of labor law, such as the freedom to move to another job or to travel. Workers may remain in custody for long periods without being submitted to the court. The interviews showed that the employers see that the system may need to change, but under an appropriate mechanism to preserve employers rights. Survey results showed low wages in the construction sector, workers from Nepal are on the lowest wages, and most of workers had borrowed to come to Qatar, low educational levels, poor living conditions, fear of losing their jobs, makes them accept the excesses. Crowding in the rooms and use of only one toilet, lack of drinking water and meals at work sites, lack of awareness about labor laws which exposes them to abuse, whether by the employment offices in their country or the employers in some cases. The study recommends to look for alternatives to the sponsorship system. Reinforce the concepts of human rights in the relationship between the employer and workers. Improving safety conditions in the workplace.
The Journal of Arabian Studies, Jan 2, 2019
Women's participation in public life in the Arabian Peninsula is affected by tradition and limits... more Women's participation in public life in the Arabian Peninsula is affected by tradition and limits their opportunities for socioeconomic development. This study focuses on the social structures that impose gender inequality. Through in-depth focus group discussions with groups of men and women in different age groups and including both working and nonworking individuals, gender roles are examined and the view of the different groups of men and women in Qatar of the roles that women are supposed to play inside and outside the home. Although some changes are occurring due to modernization, including education and other government policies, they are proving relatively minor: obstacles include deep-rooted kinship structure and cultural elements that limit women's participation in the public sphere.
Nature
his year marks the halfway point of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whic... more his year marks the halfway point of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were agreed in 2015, to be reached by 2030. As an independent group of scientists appointed by the UN to assess progress and recommend how to move forwards, we have a stark message: the world is not on track to achieve any of the 17 SDGs and cannot rely on change to happen organically. At the current rate of progress, the world will not eradicate poverty, end hunger or provide quality education for all by 2030-to name just some, central, aspirations of the SDGs. Instead, by the end of this decade, our world will have 575 million people living in extreme poverty, 600 million people facing hunger, and 84 million children and young people out of school 1. Humanity will overshoot the Paris climate agreement's 1.5 °C 'safe' guardrail on average global temperature rise. And, at the current rate, it will take 300 years to attain gender equality 2. Global leaders must act now to remove roadblocks and accelerate progress. This is the focus of our Global Sustainable Development Drilling down into why the UN Sustainable Development Goals are so hard to achieve, and showing policymakers pathways to follow, will help the planet and save lives.
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Papers and Chapters by Kaltham Al-Ghanim
still plays a powerful role in the life of men and women in the Arab Gulf States. Family still shows a high degree of unity, purpose, and integration among its members. Although the number of people living in the same household is shrinking, the connection among them remains strong and the value system that governs the extended family is still in action. Also, the hierarchy of authority and relations based on kinship still exists and plays a major role in individuals’ lives. The patriarchal social system, where men in the family have the ultimate authority and decision-making power in the household, has not been influenced by the rapid social change. Children bear their fathers’ names and adult women, such as wives, mothers, sisters, and aunts, are subject to the authority of men, such as fathers, husbands, brothers, and uncles.
This paper discusses the social and economic foundations of the hierarchy of authority in the Arab Gulf States’ extended families. Further, the paper explores the factors that determine social positions, roles, and expectations associated with family members, especially women, based on age, gender, and kinship.
Papers by Kaltham Al-Ghanim
still plays a powerful role in the life of men and women in the Arab Gulf States. Family still shows a high degree of unity, purpose, and integration among its members. Although the number of people living in the same household is shrinking, the connection among them remains strong and the value system that governs the extended family is still in action. Also, the hierarchy of authority and relations based on kinship still exists and plays a major role in individuals’ lives. The patriarchal social system, where men in the family have the ultimate authority and decision-making power in the household, has not been influenced by the rapid social change. Children bear their fathers’ names and adult women, such as wives, mothers, sisters, and aunts, are subject to the authority of men, such as fathers, husbands, brothers, and uncles.
This paper discusses the social and economic foundations of the hierarchy of authority in the Arab Gulf States’ extended families. Further, the paper explores the factors that determine social positions, roles, and expectations associated with family members, especially women, based on age, gender, and kinship.