Blog 1: Race, Ethnicity, Culture or Religion
Blogger #1: Muslim Women in Professional Spaces
Before coming to Morocco, I expected most industries to be completely male dominated. I did not even know what percentage of women held a job, or if that was commonplace. Because of this incorrect preconceived idea, I was surprised when we toured Driscoll’s and heard from so many Muslim women regarding their operations while also visibly expressing their religious identity through clothing like hijabs. Due to this stereotype about Muslim women that I believed, I wanted to explore the Muslim identity as it relates to women.
One organizational or societal issue impacting Muslim women is the way stereotypes can affect how others perceive their independence, education, or professional capabilities. According to Pew Research Center’s article “Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U.S. and around the world” (Lipka & Hackett, 2017), Muslims are often viewed through simplified stereotypes that fail to reflect the diversity of their experiences and roles within society. I am ashamed to be guilty of falling into this stereotype myself. Furthermore, the article also mentions that American Muslims think their fellow Americans do not see Islam as part of mainstream U.S. society (Figure 2). This isolation likely also helps to perpetuate harmful stereotypes regarding the treatment of women in Islam. Media portrayals can also create assumptions about oppression or limited opportunity without acknowledging the many different ways Muslim women participate in education, leadership, and professional life around the world.
Arriving at Driscolls, we saw women in high roles on the research level, in berry fields, and at the packaging center. Seeing women represented so visibly and frequently at Driscoll’s challenged some of my assumptions going into the trip. It reminded me that cultural stereotypes can oversimplify people and workplaces. The women’s empowerment mural (Figure 2) on the packaging site especially stood out to me because it showed an intentional effort to encourage female empowerment rather than simply treating diversity as an afterthought. It truly challenged me to think about how important visibility and representation are in professional environments, especially for younger women entering industries that are traditionally seen as male-dominated.
Appendix
Figure 1
Figure 2
References
Lipka, M., & Hackett, C. (2017, August 9). Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U.S. and around the world. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/08/09/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/
Jessica, I resonate with your surprise and admiration upon seeing so many women in positions of authority and education throughout our Driscoll's tour! It is conflicting to me that so many social expectations are upheld--women seen less frequently in social settings, women's modesty, etc.--while professional thresholds are being broken. I didn't see the mural on site, and I adore the drawing which states, "there is no limit to what we as women can accomplish." What a beautiful sentiment and reflection regarding education and representation in environments with changing climates for women.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog because it showed how traveling can challenge stereotypes and change perspectives. Your experience at Driscoll’s was interesting because it highlighted how Muslim women are actively involved in leadership and professional spaces, which goes against many common assumptions. I also appreciated your honesty about realizing your own preconceived ideas, because that made your reflection feel very genuine. I also really appreciated your point about visibility and representation, especially with the women’s empowerment mural. It showed that empowering women is something intentionally valued within the company culture. Your blog was a great reminder that firsthand experiences are often much more accurate than stereotypes or media portrayals.
ReplyDeleteI think this was a very insightful commentary on the assumptions and stereotypes that many people fall victim to. I was also guilty of making these assumptions, but seeing so many women in leadership roles really challenged my preconceptions. It made me wonder where else my assumptions might be far from reality. After doing some further research, I learned that in 2021, Morocco adopted a reform aimed at creating more equal gender representation in public limited companies and corporate governance bodies. This law set mandatory quotas for women on the boards of publicly traded companies. Morocco is the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to adopt such forward-thinking policies mandating women’s participation (World Bank, 2022). Before coming to Morocco, I would have never expected policies like this to be in place, but it makes me very hopeful for the progress being made and has reminded me to continually challenge my assumptions.
ReplyDeleteMouline, S., Ozlu, O., & Herzog, L. (2022, January 19). *A big step forward for women’s leadership in Morocco*. World Bank Blogs. [World Bank Blogs] https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/arabvoices/big-step-forward-womens-leadership-morocco