This paper draws on institutional theory and Phillips et al.’s (2004) framework to examine how discourse and its conditions—coherence, structure, and supportive broader discourses—produce institutions. We adapt this framework to create a model describing the macro-institutional context that shapes the meso-institutional discourse on equality in employment in the MENA region. By reviewing equality-related legal texts from eight MENA countries, analyzing organizational communications, and triangulating with interviews from regional experts, we explore how macro-level discourse and other characteristics influences organizational adoption of the discourse. Moving beyond the ethnocentric concept of “institutional voids,” we highlight the region's unique institutional forces, shaped by post-colonial legal evolution, alternative discourses, and institutional fragility. Our two-level analysis captures the complex interactions within the MENA context, advancing institutional discourse theory and offering a nuanced understanding into equality discourse in non-Western contexts.
