Abstract
This thesis investigates factors impacting Australian Muslim women's experiences with employment. The data from the 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) census show that slightly less than half of working-age Australian Muslims do not participate in the labour market, and when data is broken down based on gender, the vast majority are Muslim women (Quiggin in Das, 2018). It is unsurprising, then, that most Australian academic publications focus on the reasons behind Australian Muslim women's perceived lack of interest in paid work, and only a few examine their experiences with employment.The aim of this thesis is to extend and deepen our existing knowledge of Australian Muslim women's experiences with employment by examining the data through the lens of their intersectional identity. The intersectional identities of Australian Muslim women are rooted in the non-homogeneity of Australian Muslim communities. These communities are comprised of Muslims who are ethnically and culturally diverse and may or may not share theological understandings of Islam as a faith, further disrupting the idea of homogeneous Muslim communities in Australia. Each diverse factor and characteristic, be it the wearing of a headscarf (hijab), migrant status, or even the degree of adherence to Islamic and cultural norms, has an identifiable impact on how Muslim women experience employment in Australia.
A qualitative research method was used in hearing Muslim women explain how they experience employment in Australia and what factors shape their experiences. Data was gathered through 35 interviews with Australian Muslim women from Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne. Recruitment was restricted to Australian Muslim women who reside in Australia permanently, either as citizens or permanent visa holders, and those who speak English competently. The demographic data shows that all participants are tertiary-educated Muslim women working in competitive industries, although this was not the originally intended scope.
An analysis of the interviews first shows how Muslim women define employment. Their definitions are as diverse as Australian Muslim women are themselves, and dominated by perceptions of latent benefits–such as being seen as worship–and pure monetary gain. Understanding how Australian Muslim women perceived employment supported the determination of factors they identified as impacting their employment experiences. This understanding also provided better comprehension of the means Australian Muslim women use to circumvent some of the adverse effects of identified factors. After all, Australian Muslim women who work in competitive industries are a minority within a minority as employed Australian Muslim women (Khattab, 2020). Some of the findings of this thesis are that Australian Muslim women create their 'own brand of professionalism' by asserting their religious identity in secular workplaces, and they endeavour to minimise the impacts of working in discriminatory spaces.
This thesis provides a small contribution to a limited but growing body of knowledge on Australian Muslim women and their experiences with employment. There is a need to continue exploring diversity amongst Australian Muslim women, demanded by their increasing interests in employment. The more we know about how Australian Muslim women experience employment, the better the labour market can prepare to welcome an increasing number of Australian Muslim women professionals.
| Date of Award | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Ernest KOH (Supervisor), Bethaney TURNER (Supervisor) & Ernest KOH (Supervisor) |