Wasta and gender inequality in the workplace: a conceptual framework for social network influence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Although organizational social networks are extensively researched, the gendered implications of informal networks embedded in distinctive socio-cultural contexts remains underexplored. This conceptual paper focuses on wasta, a pervasive form of informal network and social capital in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which facilitates resource flows while also reinforcing gendered exclusion. Integrating organizational social network theory, gendered organization theory, and literature on informal institutional norms, we develop a conceptual model that illustrates how wasta operates as a gendered relational infrastructure and a mechanism of gendered gatekeeping. In contrast to Western-centric narratives that emphasize the empowering potential of networks, our framework reveals how wasta operates as an informal institution that constrains women’s access to social capital and career opportunities within the MENA context. By foregrounding the institutional and gendered dimensions of informal networks, our study contributes to a more nuanced, context-sensitive understanding of wasta and offers a theoretical blueprint for examining similar gendered informal institutions globally. We outline implications for organizations and HR practitioners seeking to identify and mitigate the hidden dynamics of informal networks and their role in reproducing gendered inequality.