Amid the growing presence of female journalists in Kuwait, women still face entrenched structural inequalities rooted in patriarchy, cultural norms, and institutional exclusion. This study drew on gendered organizational theory, gender performativity, and intersectional feminism to examine how gendered power dynamics influence the experiences of women in Kuwaiti newsrooms. A cross-sectional Arabic survey of 106 female journalists collected both quantitative and qualitative data, revealing five central themes: unequal access to opportunities, limited leadership representation, workplace safety concerns, the impact of nepotism (wasta), and cultural stereotypes. The findings suggested that gender bias is strategically concealed within supposedly neutral organizational structures and reinforced by broader social norms, including class, beauty standards, and family expectations. The study calls for intersectional accountability and comprehensive institutional reform to dismantle hidden hierarchies and support women’s complete participation and recognition in the media sector. It also proposes a contextual expansion of Acker’s theory through the inclusion of Butler’s performativity to better capture how femininity is regulated and policed in media workplaces.
Alsalem et al. (Tue,) studied this question.