CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN A RESEARCH STUDY
The KIP Index:
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 as the Principal Investigator and a collaborative team of co-principal investigators comprised of Dr. Fida Afiouni, Dr. Lina Daouk-Öyry, Dr. Wassim Dbouk, Dr. Carmen Geha, and Dr. Yasmeen Makarem. The study is part of the Support and Accelerate Women’s Inclusion (SAWI) Project within the American University of Beirut, and in partnership with the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. In what follows, are the details explaining the study and the procedure involved. Please read the information below and feel free to ask any question that 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 interview.
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.
A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The SAWI Project aims to develop, improve, and implement inclusive HR (Human Resource) policies and practices for the better recruitment, retention, and promotion of women across the Middle East and North Africa. As part of this aim, SAWI has developed the KIP Index, an indigenous organizational-level measure of the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women, in the formal sector employers across the MENA region. SAWI is funded by the U.S. State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). As part of its work, SAWI partners with a transnational network of MENA employers, to develop, improve, and implement inclusive HR (Human Resources) policies and practices for the better recruitment, retention, and promotion of women.
Now in its 3rd wave of data collection, the SAWI project aims to collect HR data between August 2023 to August 2024 and will involve data collection across 9 countries including Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. Throughout this project, SAWI will develop new partnerships with key private sector, public sector, and civil society stakeholders to carry out an in-depth research on the experiences of women in the formal economies of the region.
This third wave of data collection aims to refine 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 results and full report of the previous iterations of the index 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.
B. PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL
In this study, which will be conducted in the 9 countries mentioned above, we will be reaching out to employers from private, local, regional companies along with NGOs. In each of the 9 countries participating in the project, survey data will be collected from 130 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. Please be aware that you have the option to skip any question if you feel uncomfortable providing an answer, and there are no mandatory questions that you are required to answer.
Shrakat, is the data collection company responsible for conducting the surveys alongside you. A representative from Shrakat will be available to assist you in completing the survey and guide you through the process. As mentioned earlier, you have the flexibility to decide whether you prefer to take the survey over the phone or in-person.
C. 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.
D. 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.
E. 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.
F. CONFIDENTIALITY
Please note that the names of your specific organizations/companies will NOT be documented and thus will not be included in any reporting, nor in the publication of any results. This is to ensure that the anonymity of the organization will be safeguarded. All findings and reporting related to this study will only be presented in aggregated form using general terms relating to sector and country patterns. Thus, 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.
Collected data will be uploaded to the SAWI SharePoint site, and stored there. SharePoint is a web-based platform used for collaboration and data storage. Access to the SharePoint site is managed by the SAWI team, and access to collected data is restricted to members and partners participating in the project. Upon completion of the project, collected data will be encrypted. This encrypted collected data will be retained for a period of 3 years following the conclusion of the study, after which it will be securely destroyed.
G. CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions about this study, feel free to contact the principal investigator Dr. Charlotte Karam by email: ckaram@uottawa.ca or ck16@aub.edu.lb or contact the project Regional Manager, Ms. Olfat Khattar at ok00@aub.edu.lb.
Feel free to also contact Shrakat by email: info@shrakatconsulting.com for any questions or concerns you might have.
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
H. BY CLICKING ACCEPT, YOU VOLUNTARILY CONSENT TO TAKE PART IN THIS STUDY
