Exploring Barriers to the Recruitment and Selection of Visually Impaired Job Seekers in the Saudi Arabian Private Sector through the Lens of Stigma Theory

This thesis explored the barriers to the recruitment and selection of visually impaired (VI) job seekers in Saudi Arabia from the perspectives of both VI job seekers and hiring managers. More specifically, the aims of the study were to explore the barriers, determine the influence of culture and religion on such barriers, understand why they exist and consider how the results might inform possible changes to policy and practice.
Stigma theory was used as the theoretical underpinning for this study, while taking account of cultural and religious influences on stigma. Specifically, five dimensions of this theory were used: culture stigma, benevolence stigma, enacted stigma, perceived stigma, and self-stigma. The thesis also engaged with the concept of intersectionality to understand how the stigma that was related to both disability and gender combined to impact on employment.
To explore the above topic, and informed by an interpretivist approach, the author conducted a mixed-methods study. The quantitative part involved two surveys completed by 268 hiring managers and 323 VI job seekers, respectively. These findings were then used to inform the qualitative part of the study, which used semi-structured interviews conducted with 31 hiring managers and 38 VI job seekers. A descriptive analysis of the quantitative data and a thematic analysis of the qualitative data were performed.
The study’s findings highlighted that both the VI and hiring manager participants perceived barriers to the recruitment and selection of VI job seekers. These barriers were (1) societal and cultural (religion, family, and gender), (2) organisational (attitudes, a one-size-fits all recruitment strategy, and wasta) and (3) related to government legislation and policy (education, Nitaqat, and job recruitment agencies).
This study contributes to knowledge at different levels. In terms of theoretical contributions, it extends stigma theory by revealing how religious beliefs can form a virtual identity for VI people in society and inform individuals’ attitudes and structural discrimination. The study also sheds light on how stigma can be affected by the complex interplay between gender and visual impairment.
The study’s findings have implications for private sector organisations, government agencies and VI job seekers: all should benefit from a better understanding of how stigma might unfairly prevent the visually impaired from participating in employment. The concluding chapter also identifies specific recommendations for organisational practice and for how the Saudi government should revise policies and enforce or amend existing legislation.