The University of Skövde announces that the diversity scholarship for 2025 is awarded to Khatima Wichit for her thesis on how so-called structural and cultural barriers are claimed to affect career opportunities for individuals with different cultural backgrounds in Sweden.

Every year, the University of Skövde awards its diversity scholarship to a thesis in the field of diversity that stands out a little extra. Khatima Wichit studied the Master’s program in Leadership and Organizational Development, and in her thesis, she examined ‘how individuals with different cultural backgrounds experienced and navigated structural and cultural barriers such as gender, ethnicity, and religion in their career development in the Swedish labor market.’

By analyzing several grounds of discrimination – gender, ethnicity, and religion – the thesis shows how these factors interact and create layers of barriers, it continues.

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‘It feels very nice and means a lot to me to receive the diversity scholarship. It is a testament that the work I have done is significant and that issues regarding diversity and inclusion need to continue to be highlighted,’ says Khatima Wichit.

The thesis was titled ‘Climbing Without a Ladder: Barriers to Career Advancement in Sweden.’

‘For me, it became a work that not only analyzed barriers but also highlighted the strength, perseverance, and drive that many carried with them. Hearing their stories gave an understanding of how people actually create space for themselves in environments where the path forward is not always clear,’ she says.

Khatima Wichit received the scholarship during a graduation ceremony on December 5th.

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