Consent to participate in a Research Study
The KIP Index Project:
A survey on the Recruitment, Retention and Promotion of Female Citizens in formal organizations across the Middle East and North Africa
You are cordially invited to participate in a research study led by Dr. Charlotte Karam and Dr. Lama Moussawi as the Principal Investigators and a collaborative team of co-principal investigators comprised of Dr. Wassim Dbouk and Dr. Carmen Geha at the American University of Beirut.
The purpose of the study is to develop a comprehensive data-driven index that provides economic stakeholders with knowledge and recommendations on improving women's recruitment, retention, and promotion in the formal economies in the MENA. Following are details explaining the study and the procedure involved. Please read the information below and feel free to ask any question you may have. After you read the following script, and if you decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to provide your consent for participation before sitting for the survey.
The conduct of this study will adhere to the IRB approved protocol. The IRB approved method for approaching subjects is an email and completing it using Lime Survey. Upon request, the survey can be filled over the phone or face-to-face.
- PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The KIP Index project is one of the many projects within the Center for Inclusive Business and Leadership (CIBL) for Women at the American University of Beirut (AUB). The KIP Index project is an indigenous organizational-level measure of the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women, in the formal sector employers across the MENA region. It is part of the SAWI Project (Support and Accelerate Women’s Inclusion), a two-year $3-million project funded by MEPI at the US Department of State. The main aim of SAWI is to partner with a transnational network of MENA employers, in order to develop, improve, and implement inclusive HR policies and practices for the better recruitment, retention, and promotion of women. The KIP Index project runs from June 2021 to June 2022 and will involve data collection across 11 countries including Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen and Iraq. Throughout this project, CIBL at AUB will develop new partnerships with key private sector, public sector, and civil society stakeholders in order to carry out an in-depth research on the experiences of women in the formal economies of the region.
This is the second iteration of the project which aims to develop a comprehensive data-driven index that provides economic stakeholders with knowledge and recommendations on improving women's recruitment, retention, and promotion in the formal economies in the MENA. The first iteration of the KIP Index was launched on March 31, 2021, and the full report of the results can be downloaded here.
This regionally specific comparative index will embolden and enrich the possibilities to speak directly for and from the region on realistic and strategic recommendations to serve as a catalyst for economic stakeholders across MENA to join forces in opening opportunities focusing on the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in the formal sector. To this end, the proposed project will result in (1) Economic stakeholders in the MENA region increasing their knowledge of comparable information specific to women’s contribution to the economy and workforce participation in the formal sector; (2) Economic stakeholders increasing their knowledge of the barriers and their understanding of how to develop initiatives to recruit, retain, and promote women in the formal sector; and finally (3) Women in the MENA region increasing their knowledge on issues/initiatives related to their participation in the economy and the formal workforce.
The KIP Index will seek university-wide efforts, resources, and expertise to address the question of the role of women in MENA economies from a multidisciplinary perspective.
- PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL
In this study, which will be conducted in the 11 countries mentioned above, we will be reaching out to employers from private, local, regional companies along with NGOs. In each of the 11 countries participating in the project, survey data will be collected from 150 employers and a total of 50 interviews will be conducted with national female employees, to be identified through the SAWI project Country Partners. You have been invited to participate in this survey since you are an employer who has operations in more than one MENA country and who employs at least one woman. The survey is expected to take around 45 minutes. You can choose whether to be in this study or not. Your participation is purely voluntary. You can also decide to withdraw from the study at any time without any penalty. Refusal to participate or deciding to withdraw from the study will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled, and neither will it affect your relationship with AUB or your working organization.
- POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO SUBJECTS AND/ OR TO SOCIETY:
There are no expected direct personal benefits from participating in this study. The indirect benefit is that this study will shed light on the dynamics that contribute to the status of women in the MENA economies and will thus create and sustain a regional dialogue on promoting policy change towards the effective recruitment, retention, and promotion of women in the workforce. The aggregate findings of this study can be shared with you upon your request. The data you provide in the questionnaire will be collected and analyzed. The results of the survey will be published for research purposes in project reports, articles, and a dashboard.
- POTENTIAL RISKS
There are no risks associated with the study beyond daily like risks. The risks of the study are minimal. The collected data will remain confidential and anonymous.
- PAYMENT FOR PARTICIPATION
While we are appreciative of your time and thankful for your participation, please note that you will not receive payment for participating in this study.
- CONFIDENTIALITY
The collected data will remain confidential and anonymous. Records will be monitored and may be audited by the IRB while assuring confidentiality. The research team will not have access to your name or contact details.
- CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions about this study, feel free to contact the principal investigator Dr. Lama Moussawi by email: lm34@aub.edu.lb
If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this research, you can also contact the Institutional Review Board at the American University of Beirut:
PO BOX: 11-0236 F15 Riad El Solh, Beirut 1107 2020 Lebanon
Tel: 00961 1 374374, ext.: 5445. Email: irb@aub.edu.lb
- ACCESS TO THE SURVEY
After reading the consent document and having your questions answered, if you voluntarily agree to take part in the study you can access the survey by clicking on the following link.
By checking the box below, you voluntarily consent to take part in this study.
