1 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company. • DOI: 10.1002/tie.21828 Correspondence to: Eddy S. Ng, Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University, 6100 University Ave., Halifax, NS Canada B3H 4R2, (902) 494-8998, edng@dal.ca The Impact of Formal and Informal Distance on Gender Equality Approaches: The Case of a British MNC in Saudi Arabia By Hussain Alhejji Eddy S. Ng* Thomas Garavan Ronan Carbery This study explores the forces that promote and hinder gender equality efforts of a multinational cor- poration (MNC) operating in the Middle East. Speciically, we draw from a case study to document the formal and informal pressures exerted on a British MNC operating in Saudi Arabia to better understand the multiple forces that inluence gender equality approaches in the host country. Our indings suggest that while formal institutions such as the legal requirements and localization policies support gender equality, informal forces that are rooted in the cultural norms and traditions are formidable in hindering FEATURE ARTICLE *The author would like to acknowledge support from the F. C. Manning Chair in Economics and Business, Dalhousie University.