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As Muslims increasingly cross ethnic, religious, and social barriers within Western societies, the rate of interfaith marriages continues to rise. As a result, several issues are generated within the Muslim community globally. One of these issues focuses on the subjectivity of Muslim women marrying non-Muslim men since Islamic religious texts may be unclear and indirect regarding the issue. Additionally, Muslims in the West are increasingly exposed to individuals from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, which raises the probability of exogamy. Many Muslims residing in the West do not have issues with exogamy; it is mostly familial and societal expectations that exude stress when individuals intermarry within the Muslim community. Openness to intermarriage among Muslims in the West can be attributable to differences in faith and identity development of second-generation Muslims growing up in Western countries, which can lead to a differentiation of Muslim identity in comparison to their parents and extended family. Regardless of the taboo and stigma that exist with regard to intermarriage in Islam, Muslim interfaith marriages in the West arguably can be seen as microcosmic representations of positive pluralistic relations in contemporary times. Through discussions of data collected for this research, this thesis considers the issues and ideas mentioned above as it considers the experiences of Muslims in interfaith marriages in Western societies by considering notions of gender, globalization, and religious pluralism. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

This thesis aimed to investigate generational differences in the frequency and importance of meaningful work in employees based on the 7 facets of the Map of Meaning. Hypotheses were tested through Analysis of Variance of secondary data. 395 participants self-reported levels of meaningful work on the Comprehensive Meaningful Work Scale. Results indicated that Generation Y had significantly lower levels of meaningful work. Generation Y had significantly lower levels of Unity (importance), Serving (frequency and importance), Expressing full potential (frequency), Reality (frequency and importance) and Inspiration (frequency). Significant differences occurred mainly between Generation Y and Baby boomers, with some significant differences between Generation Y and Generation X and no significant differences between Generation X and Baby boomers. Results showed that overall frequency and importance levels were significantly lower for Generation Y. Overall frequency levels were lower than overall importance levels, which suggests that employees’ desire for meaningful work may not be satisfied. In light of this evidence, it is suggested that to improve organisational outcomes such as engagement, retention and performance, managers should provide opportunities for employees to engage in meaningful work with particular focus on Generation Y. Employees themselves should take responsibility to find meaning in their own work and life because engagement in meaningful activities can lead to satisfaction, belonging, fulfilment and a better understanding of one’s purpose in life.

The aim of the study was to explore the differences between generations X and Y in the military by exploring whether belonging to a particular generational cohort influences perceptions of job satisfaction and emotional intelligence (EI). Data on generational groupings, job satisfaction and EI was drawn from a convenience sample of 187 members from the Human Resources (HR) Division in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Descriptive statistics, correlations and t-tests for independent samples were used to analyse the data. Analysis revealed that job satisfaction has a significant positive relationship with EI. Furthermore, the empirical study also yielded evidence to support a difference between Gen X and Gen Y in relation to two job satisfaction facets, namely promotion and supervision. The findings, however, did not support a difference between Gen X and Gen Y in terms of overall job satisfaction and total EI. The leadership of the SANDF may be able to use the study’s findings to guide effective organisational policies and processes to maintain and retain a loyal and productive human resources pool working in cohesion despite underlying differences. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Den svenska arbetsmarknaden står inför stora förändringar gällande generationer. Baby boom generationen kommer inom snar framtid att gå i pension och generation X och generation Y tar över arbetsmarknaden. I takt med att baby boomers lämnar arbetsmarknaden går man även miste om viktiga och nödvändiga kunskaper som denna generation erhåller. Ett stort tomrum uppstår som de nästkommande generationerna måste fylla. Däremot har generation X och generation Y andra kunskaper som kommer att vara betydelsefulla. Denna studie syftar till att fördjupa förståelsen för ledarskap i relation till generationer på arbetsplatsen. Syftet är att beskriva och analysera vilka förväntningar generation X och generation Y har på ledarskap samt vilken typ av ledarstil dessa generationer föredrar. Utifrån detta syfte har två frågeställningar formulerats: “Vilka förväntningar har generation X respektive generation Y på ledarskap?” och  “Vilken typ av ledarskapsstil föredrar generation X respektive generation Y på arbetsplatsen?”. Studiens empiriska material har samlats in genom tio stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer med en fenomenologisk förståelseansats. Resultatet som framhölls i studien är att det förekommer generationsskillnader kopplat till ledarskap och ledarstilar, men att dessa återfinns i små variationer. Exempelvis förväntade sig generation X mer tydlighet medan generation Y förväntade sig en högre grad av delaktighet. Analysen av det empiriska materialet indikerar på att åldersintervallet man är född inom har präglats av historiska händelser. Detta kan ligga till grund för individens synsätt och uppfattningar men betydelsen av att inkludera yttre faktorer såsom uppväxt och bakgrund är viktiga då ett pålitligt resultat inte endast kan baseras på ålder. Slutsatsen i studien blir således att man inte kan kategorisera in generationerna i enbart ett traditionellt eller modernt ledarskap, inte heller en renodlad auktoritär eller demokratisk ledarstil. Både generation X och generation Y har fler förväntningar som går hand i hand med ett modernt ledarskap, men med inslag av traditionella synsätt. Generationerna föredrar även till stor del en demokratisk ledarstil, däremot med vissa auktoritära inslag. / The Swedish labor market is facing major generational changes. The baby boom generation will soon retire and Generation X and Generation Y will take over the labor market. As baby boomers leave the labor market, important and necessary skills that this generation acquires are also being lost. A great void is created that the next generations must fill. However, Generation X and Generation Y have other skills that will be significant. This study aims to deepen the understanding of leadership in relation to generations in the workplace. The aim is to describe and analyze what expectations generation X and generation Y have for leadership and what type of leadership style these generations prefer. Based on this aim, two questions have been formulated: "What expectations do generation X and generation Y respectively have of leadership?" and "Which type of leadership style do generation X and generation Y prefer in the workplace?". The study's empirical material has been collected through ten semi-structured interviews with a phenomenological understanding approach. The result highlighted in the study is that there are generational differences linked to leadership and leadership styles, but that these are found in small variations. For example, Generation X expected more clarity while Generation Y expected a higher degree of participation. The analysis of the empirical material indicates that the age range one is born into has been marked by historical events. This may be the basis of the individual's approach and perceptions, but the importance of including external factors such as upbringing and background are important as a reliable result cannot be based solely on age. The conclusion of the study is thus that you cannot categorize the generations into only traditional or modern leadership, nor a purely authoritarian or democratic leadership style. Both Generation X and Generation Y have more expectations that go hand in hand with modern leadership, but with elements of traditional approaches. The generations also largely prefer a democratic leadership style, but with some authoritarian elements.

Ledarskapsteori är ett viktigt ämne inom forskning, för att göra det möjligt att optimera prestation och trivsel hos medarbetare i organisationer. Det skapar även möjligheter för ledare att anpassa sig efter sina medarbetare och skapa trivsamma och produktiva arbetsplatser.   Denna studie undersöker sambandet mellan ålder och ledarskapspreferenser hos HR-anställda i Sverige. HR-anställda ansågs vara relevanta att studera då de har stor påverkan på hälsan hos alla anställda på en arbetsplats. Studien utfördes i form av en enkät som besvarades av 221 respondenter, där 21 frågor från instrumentet Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, MLQ, besvarades. Frågorna mätte ledarstilarna Transformativt ledarskap, Transaktionellt ledarskap samt Laissez faire-ledarskap. Dessutom togs hänsyn till fyra olika generationsindelningar i studien; Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y och Generation Z. Dessa representerar åldern på den arbetskraft som befinner sig på arbetsmarknaden idag.   Resultatet visade på ett negativt samband mellan ålder och preferens för transformativt ledarskap, vilket indikerar att yngre personer föredrar ledare som är mer transformativa i sitt ledarskap. Det fanns även samband mellan preferens för olika ledarstilar, vilket tyder på att en ökad preferens för en av ledarstilarna indikerar en högre preferens för ytterligare en ledarstil. Studien ställer sig kritisk till generationsindelningar, då det inte fanns några signifikanta skillnader mellan preferenserna hos individer från olika generationer. / Leadership theory is an important subject within research, to create information and knowledge of how leadership preferences can differ between individuals. It also creates an opportunity for leaders to adapt their leadership to different co-workers and create healthy workplaces.   The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between age and leadership preference in HR-employees in Sweden. HR-employees was considered to be relevant since they are accountable for the health of all employees at a workplace. A survey was conduced, where the 221 respondents answered 21 questions from the questionnaire Multifactor Leadership Questionnare, MLQ. The questions measured the leadership types Transformative leadership, Transactional leadership and Laissez-faire leadership. Four generations were also considered; Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z, which represent the age of the workforce in Sweden at the time the study was conducted.   The study found a negative correlation between age and preference for Transformative leadership, which indicated that younger people prefer leaders who are transformative in their leadership. There were also correlations between preferences for different leadership types, where a higher preference for one leadership type also indicated a higher preference for another leadership type. The study is critical to dividing and judging people based on generation, since there were no differences between the preferences in individuals from different generations.