PREGNANCY AT WORK IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA) REGION THROUGH THE FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE
The struggles of pregnancy in the workplace are struggles that resonate with numerous women around the world, especially in the MENA region. New mothers who work in organizations that fail to meet their work needs are more likely to quit their jobs to care for their children. As a result, when they decide to resume their careers after some time off, they are put at a disadvantage for they may be blocked from assuming leadership positions or get paid less than their male colleagues (Ferrant et. al, 2014). Furthermore, policies that prohibit the just participation of women in the workforce are ubiquitous in our region. In the MENA, it is common for corporations to not have adequate paternity leave that should allow fathers to evenly take care of their children (OECD, 2014). On national levels, most labor laws in the MENA also fail to offer paternity leave and even when they do, they are not satisfactory. For instance, Jordan is one of the few MENA countries which grants this right for new fathers for only three days, with pay (Qutteineh, 2019). Even though research shows that family-friendly working policies such as increased maternity and paternity leaves, and creating harmonious working conditions are associated with an increased retention rate amongst new parents, these laws are not valued in our societies (UNICEF, 2019).
We must look at this issue through a broader, more encompassing lens: the feminist perspective. This perspective allows us to see the commonalities and nuances of all cases, and look at the political systems we live in, historical factors, and transnational influences that have detrimental consequences on pregnant women today (Vemury, 2020). Reshaping labor through the lens of feminism has the power to profusely open doors for women, which in turn, allows for a more equitable society.
Our capitalist systems have given unpaid care work much less value it deserves and those who are more likely to complete this work are put at a staggering disadvantage. Yet, a study by Oxfam stated that if unpaid care work was valued as other work, it would be worth nearly $11 trillion US dollars a year (Oxfam International, 2020). Nonetheless, the economic contexts we live in have shaped “organizing processes that produce inequality” (Acker, 2006, p. 447). Indeed, typically accompanied with a need to earn higher wages in the MENA, employees are often subject by their employers to work longer hours than expected (Messenger, 2018). To add, stereotypes depict that the people who work overtime are men who are not subject to obligations like full-time child care. These social expectations deprive fathers of family life and therefore affect the mother’s life (ILO, 2019). Such modes of work have proven to be inefficient, since those who do not regularly attend to unpaid care work are no longer the only participants in the labor force. While benefits like maternal leaves are present, the entire system still maintains “the unequal distribution of women and men in organizational class hierarchies” (Acker, 2006, p. 448).
Though it may be easier to assume that the core issue of pregnancy at work is the same for all, we must not turn a blind eye to the fact that some women who work in the MENA go through more hardships than others. For instance, women who come from under-developed countries to work unfulfilling jobs in more developed MENA countries face constant xenophobia and discrimination (Mlambo & Zubane, 2021). Complications become more significant for them if they get pregnant — whether voluntarily or not — as doing so is often forbidden under threats of incarceration or deportation (Mahdavi, 2017). The conversation should hence be moved to a “non-colonizing feminist solidarity” (Mohanty, 2003, p. 503). Meaning there is a need for societies to come together in order to bring down patriarchy and understand that Western structures do not work, especially when we live in an interconnected world that is bound by the wonders of diversity (Vemury, 2020).
To conclude, pregnant women in the MENA and elsewhere need to feel as though having children will not carry a burden on their lives. Doing so only happens when we start to value their work at home and recognize this work as one that contributes to society just as much as a paying job. Moreover, a balanced cooperation between unpaid care work and paid work must be seen as the right course of action one must take, regardless of gender, class, ethnicity, or sexuality (Ferrant et. al, 2014). Paid work should not be shaped to only allow straight men to succeed. Intersectionality comes in play and calls for updated techniques on how we tackle employee needs.
Disclaimer: This blog is part of the CIBL Student Corner dedicated for inspiring students and allowing them to share their papers or thoughts on specific issues that are within the scope of our work in CIBL with the public. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author/student and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CIBL for Women, the Olayan S. Suliman School of Business, or the American University of Beirut.
