Intersectionality and Diversity Management in the MENA Region: A Context Specific Perspective of Saudi Arabia

Drawing on intersectionality theory, this article examines how firms navigate women’s integration into the workforce to understand the impact of gender, religion and culture on diversity management in Saudi Arabia. It adopts a qualitative research design combining semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The findings point out three strategies to negotiate women’s integration into the workforce: (1) a resistance approach reifying existent gender differences, (2) a compliance strategy based on instrumental conformity and (3) an experimental approach seeking to respond to the local context through innovation and (re)framing policies. Our findings indicate that the intersectional dynamics of religion, culture and ongoing policy reforms have important structural implications for women’s work integration and overall employment. This article contributes to the growing scholarship on localized diversity management and the broader field of human resource management by offering nuanced insights into how religiously sensitive and contextually grounded practices can foster more inclusive work environments in Saudi Arabia.