Legitimising Emirati women’s expanding economic agency via narratives of the past

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the highly dynamic cultural landscape relating to economically active Emirati women who are supported by government policy but may be exposed to some societal disapprobation. Design/methodology/approach Narrative methodology is used to explore how women respond to the perceived discord between their economic agency and enduring traditional norms associated with women. Findings Results indicate that a prevailing discursive mode within participants’ narratives is that the working woman is not at all a new phenomenon in their society but has always been a feature of Emirati history. Originality/value This study’s contribution to theory building is its demonstration of how traditional Arab Islamic values and modern state policy are being combined in a way that blurs the apparent dichotomy between tradition and modernity.