The Impact of Male Guardianship on Arab Women’s Careers in the United Arab Emirates

Arab countries have taken numerous steps to increase women’s labor force participation. Yet, according to many Arab countries’ labor laws, Muslim women are required to provide their potential employers a written permission to work from their legal male guardians (Mahram in Arabic). Her economic participation or career development would not be possible without Mahram’s permission. This study aims to broaden the understanding of the impact of family members on Arab women’s careers by exploring the factors that are important for Mahrams when considering allowing their female family members to work. This paper challenges the conventional career choice theories, such as the social cognitive career theory, by addressing one of its major shortcomings: the question of how free individuals are in their career choices.