Compromisers or Strategists? Relationship of Women Managers with other Women at Work in Saudi Arabia.

What is the nature of the relationship between women managers and other women at work in organizations with a history of gender discrimination? To answer this question, we used a qualitative interpretivist approach, and conducted face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with women middle and senior managers in Saudi Arabia. Applying positioning theory, our findings demonstrate how, motivated by their moral duties, Saudi women managers position themselves as supporters of other women at work. We identified two groups of women managers based on key differences in the unfolding of this support, the compromisers and the strategists. The compromisers assumed that their moral duty was to protect the proteges from being perceived as women's activists and advised them to act in compliance with the traditional gender roles and expectations, and to focus on their own work. In contrast, the strategists assumed that their moral duty was to provide their proteges with advice on how to solve their problems and make decisions, teach them to stand up for themselves, and showcase their accomplishments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]