Barriers to Career Advancement Opportunities for Female Faculty A Study of Public and Private Universities in Pakistan

Abstract

The present research study was conducted to explore the barriers and issues of inequality experienced by female faculty members at their workplace and how they dealt with them. The study employed purposive and referral sampling techniques to conduct in-depth-interviews with 20 female faculty members working at public and private universities of Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 12 open ended questions were asked from individual participants, both in person and on call. Each interview was 40 to 60 minutes long. The data were analysed through thematic analyses by identifying the initial codes, categorizing and analysing the themes, and finalizing the results. The findings of the study show lack of family support, traditional culture, and gender stereotype as the major barriers in females’ career advancement. The study ends with recommendations to plugin these barriers by creating equal opportunities for working women.