Khatima Awarded for Study on Cultural Barriers on the Labour Market

The University’s Diversity Scholarship 2025 is awarded to Khatima Wichit. She receives the scholarship for her degree project examining how structural and cultural barriers affect career opportunities for people with different cultural backgrounds in Sweden.

Khatima Wichit is awarded The University’s Diversity Scholarship 2025.

“It feels truly lovely, and it means a great deal to me to receive the Diversity Scholarship. It’s a confirmation that the work I’ve done matters, and that issues relating to diversity and inclusion need to keep being highlighted,” says Khatima Wichit.

The University of Skövde awards its Diversity Scholarship every year to a degree project that stands out a little extra within the field of diversity. Khatima Wichit has studied the Master’s Programme in Leadership and Organisational Development. In her degree project, she examined how people with different cultural backgrounds experienced and navigated structural and cultural barriers such as gender, ethnicity and religion in their career development on the Swedish labour market.

“For me, it became a work that not only analysed obstacles, but also highlighted the strength, perseverance and drive that many carried with them. Listening to their stories provided an understanding of how people actually create space for themselves in environments where the path forward is not always obvious,” she says.

Khatima Wichit received the scholarship during the University’s graduation ceremony on 5 December.

Motivation

The Diversity Scholarship for 2025 is awarded to Khatima Wichit for the degree project “Climbing Without a Ladder: Barriers to Career Advancement in Sweden”.

The degree project highlights a current topic that clearly relates to diversity and equal opportunities. The study examines how structural and cultural barriers affect career opportunities for people with different cultural backgrounds in the Swedish labour market. By analysing several grounds of discrimination – gender, ethnicity, and religion – the thesis demonstrates how these factors interact and create layers of obstacles.

One potency with the project is the integrated theoretical framework and the introduction of the concept of “hyperformance”, which offers new perspectives on strategies for inclusion. The project contributes important knowledge for organizations and society by drawing attention to subtle forms of discrimination and suggesting pathways towards increased equality. This knowledge is essential for creating a working life in which everyone is given equal opportunities regardless of background.