Glass Ceiling in Federal Law Enforcement: An Exploratory Analysis of the Factors Contributing to Women’s Career Advancement

Abstract

In recent years, there has been limited focus on representative bureaucracy at the upper levels of government organizations. Scholarship on the glass ceiling has emphasized systematic and sociopsychological barriers as impediments for women to advance into upper level management positions. Despite the importance of continuing to highlight these obstacles, factors contributing to their success have received little attention in public administration. This study provides a descriptive analysis of the factors contributing to women’s career advancement in federal law enforcement. Using survey data collected from 32 senior female federal law enforcement officers working in 16 federal law enforcement agencies, nine themes emerge as factors contributing to their success. The topic of the glass ceiling continues to be relevant in today’s literature for responding to women’s lack of passive or active representation in the upper ranks of nontraditional occupations such as law enforcement.