LEGALIZING INTERSECTIONALITY: CLASS, RACE AND FEMALE MIGRANT WORKERS IN QATAR

Abstract

While some research has been conducted on labor conditions in the Gulf, we have yet to ask how gender is systematically regulated by the law. To what extent does the law institutionalize and normalize difference based on the female labor force’s ethnic, national and class affiliations? This thesis develops a framework for understanding the role of Qatar labor law in formalizing the intersectionality of class and race positioning female migrant workers within a hierarchical legal scheme that separates a domestic worker, from a businesswoman or a health professional. It argues that there is a distinction between female workers governed under the labor law of Qatar and those governed under the domestic workers section. The intersection of race, nationality and class in the legal system thus works to create and foster disparities embedded in the fabric of society.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Humanities and Social Science