Women Employees’ Perspectives on the Glass Ceiling Phenomenon: An Exploratory Study

Description

Nidhi Turan (Haryana School of Business, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar, Haryana)

It is generally believed that working women, compared to men, face more stringent situations in getting selected, promoted, and sustaining their jobs in the workplace. Such situations came to be called the Glass Ceiling. This phenomenon is an invisible barrier that leads to the underrepresentation of female workers in top-level jobs, not because of their incompetence or poor education, but due to gender and social stereotypes, and also due to some other systemic biases. The present study aimed to investigate the perceived presence of the Glass Ceiling in the government and private sectors in Haryana state and its adjoining National Capital Region of India. The sample consisted of 172 women employees from academic, administrative, entrepreneurial, and technology backgrounds. A self-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on demographic profile and glass ceiling factors. Frequency distribution and percentages were used to draw the inferences. The present study revealed that the majority of the respondents were in the age group of 21 to 40 years and were educated up to post-graduation and PhD levels. The majority of respondents were married, and most of the sampled respondents were employed in the private sector. The majority of respondents were working as academics/researchers, followed by those in administration and full-time workers. The results have shown mixed responses from women employees regarding glass ceiling factors. The majority of them disagreed that the glass ceiling had affected their career choice, career progression, and sustainability, and also disagreed that it had hurt their career. On the other hand, there were some respondents who were of the opinion that glass ceiling factors had affected their careers. The results of the present study have implications for the education sector and other organizations, and to work with women employees, keeping in mind their social and caregiving responsibilities, and to support them in their work-life balance.