Doha: Fifteen female student researchers from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q)have begun to observe and interview Qatari women about their influence on society.
Their findings promise to offer a window of insights into the relationship between female participation in social groups, known as Majlis Al Hareem, and their empowerment in society.
“We anticipate that our findings will help us see more clearly the link between this type of participation and general societal influence among women,” said Jocelyn Sage Mitchell, Assistant Professor, Liberal Arts Programme, and primary investigator of the study, which “is the first of its kind to survey a large sample of Qatari women about their participation in social groups and choices in the economic, educational and political spheres.”
Stereotypes abound about women’s limited roles in the Middle East, particularly in the Arab Gulf.
A closer look at Qatar, however, challenges misconceptions about female repression and exclusion. Leadership, voting rights, education levels and participation in the workforce all measure highly among women in Qatar, according to recent research.
The NU-Q study ‘Qatari Women: Engagement and Empowerment’ was granted $150,000 in the latest award cycle of Qatar National Research Fund’s Undergraduate Research Experience Programme.
It entails surveying nearly 1,000 women about their participation and level of involvement in Majlis Al Hareem, ranging in type from family, social and neighbourhood to intellectual and religious.
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University will conduct the study.
Most students involved in the study are Qataris. With data collection to finish in the spring, the team plans to process data and curate audio-visual results over the summer and fall.
Nour Al Tamimi, a journalism sophomore, one of the student researchers involved in the project, said: “Being an observer of an environment I have been part of for my whole life is very interesting to me.
“Now, I don’t only participate in these majlises but I also observe and write ethnographic observations that document women’s participation in society.”
“I am motivated to take part in the project because our research will contribute to a better understanding of Qatari women here and throughout the world,” Najlaa Al Khulaifi, a communication sophomore student researcher, said.
“There is no recent data or information about the topic, and I feel that up-to-date research, including our conclusions, will be very important for the empowerment of women.”
The research team is overseen by faculty members Mitchell, Christina Paschyn, Lecturer in Residence in the Journalism Programme, and Kirsten Pike, Assistant Professor in the Communication Programme, joined by three researchers from other Qatar-based universities: Tanya Kane, Adjunct Anthropology Lecturer, Texas A&M University at Qatar and Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar; Justin Gengler, Senior Researcher, Social and Economic Survey Research Institute of Qatar University, and Sadia Mir, Language Studies Instructor, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar.
Through audio-visual recording and ethnographic observation, results will feature rich contextual elements.
The curated findings will be presented throughout the fall at museums, conferences and film festivals in Qatar and \across the world.
The Peninsula
