Women's Career Progression Research Articles

The Role of Gender (M/F) in the Workplace: The Case of Municipality of Athens, Greece

Purpose: This article presents the results of a survey conducted on employees of the municipality of Athens, Greece, in the context of an extensive survey on the implementation of the European Charter for Gender Equality in Local Communities and regarding stereotypes and discrimination between men and women in the specific survey population. Methodology: In particular, a survey was developed aimed to investigate the existence of stereotypical perceptions about gender within the Municipality and the absence of awareness of the need to integrate gender equality in all municipal policies. The survey was conducted between June and September 2023, online. A total of 258 employees in various Services and Organizations of the municipality of Athens participated in the survey, 71% women and 27% men, with an average age of 49 years old. The results of the research show that the gender of employees had a negative impact in the working life for women, confirming its role in inequalities and reduced opportunities for career development. Findings: The results also revealed that women in greater degree compared to men, have suffered a slowdown in their professional development due to their personal-family responsibilities, demonstrating that balancing work and family life is a difficult equation, especially for female employees. The study highlights persistent gender disparities, impacting work life balance and career progression for women. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Its findings suggest a need for targeted policies that address gender-based barriers, promoting a more equitable work environment in municipal roles.

The gendered effects of parenthood on career outcomes: Do family gaps explain gender differences along the science pipeline?

This study, based on data from 2225 faculty members at a Portuguese research-intensive university, investigates the combined impact of gender and parental status on academic rank and salary. Parenthood significantly influences women's concentration at lower tenure-track ranks, leading to wage gaps that disadvantage mothers. However, the impact of family status on women's career progression shows that while having young children initially hinders their transition to the tenure track, it does not significantly reduce their chances of earning tenure or reaching higher academic ranks. Lower wages for mothers result from slower academic grade advancement, not within-rank disparities, which poses barriers to progression. The study illuminates the interplay of gender and parenthood, shifting the focus from individual factors to gendered institutional processes shaping career trajectories, providing valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the persistent gender gap in academia.

Cultural Barriers to Women's Progression in Academic Careers: A France-Brazil Comparison Through the Lens of the Queen Bee Phenomena.

Despite significant improvements, women are still underrepresented at high levels in academia. Most research on these inequalities is conducted within a specific national academic system, without taking into account its cultural roots. The aim of the present study was to analyze the extent to which the cultural context acts as a barrier on women's career progression. Specifically, we focused on psychological processes described under the metaphor of Queen Bee Phenomenon that may reflect the ways in which female academics conform to male-gender roles encoded in androcentric social and academic culture. Two samples of women academic, one French (N = 73), the other Brazilian (N = 88), were compared through the lens of two dimension of the Queen Bee Phenomena: self-group distancing and gender hierarchy legitimation. Brazilian women identify more with their female peer group than their French counterparts. French women are more hostile to quotas and more inclined to adhere to meritocratic discourses than their Brazilian counterparts. Both academic contexts tend to perpetuate gender inequalities, but in different ways: by maintaining gender-stereotypical expectations in Brazil and meritocratic ideology in France. The implications for policies to promote a more egalitarian university context are discussed herein.

Part-Time Paradox: The Rise of Female Part-Time Employment and Its Impacts on Germany's Labor Market

Despite an employment rate of 76.6% for women in Germany, significant issues persist with regard to the labour market situation of women in the country. These include the prevalence of part-time work, the under-representation of women in senior management positions and the existence of pay gaps. This article employs data from the German Statistical Office spanning the period from 2000 to 2022 to examine the growth in part-time employment among women and its ramifications. The paper demonstrates that part-time work is a prevalent phenomenon in female-dominated sectors such as health and education. This is driven by a combination of economic conditions, the necessity to reconcile work and family life, and legal regulations. This situation consequently results in women facing lower remuneration and constrained career prospects. The necessity to balance work and family responsibilities represents a significant challenge for women, impeding their career development and negatively impacting their job performance and workplace commitment. These dynamics serve to perpetuate gender inequalities in the labour market, thereby preventing women from realising their full potential at work. This article makes a significant contribution to the existing literature on the relationship between part-time work and gender inequalities in the German labour market by providing a detailed analysis of this complex relationship. The article offers valuable insights into the potential of legal regulations, such as the Temporary Part-Time Work Act enacted in 2019, to alleviate the adverse effects of part-time work on women. The research is distinctive in its comprehensive examination of the socio-economic dynamics of part-time work, its legal framework, and its impact on gender equality, based on an extensive data analysis conducted over an extended period. By offering a detailed and nuanced understanding of these issues, the study draws attention to the ongoing challenges women face in the labour market and suggests potential policy interventions to promote gender equality. This article emphasises the necessity for targeted measures to facilitate women's career progression and offset the adverse consequences of part-time employment, thereby contributing to a more equitable labour market.

Navigating the Glass Ceiling: Women's Career Challenges in Nepal's Banking Sector

Background: Glass ceiling factors, such as organizational, social, and psychological barriers, continue to hinder women's career advancement, particularly in managerial roles. Despite increasing efforts to promote gender equality in the workplace, these factors still limit opportunities for women’s development, especially in traditionally male-dominated industries like banking in Nepal. This study investigates how these factors influence women’s perceptions of career development and whether they significantly impact their progress. Methods: The research employed a quantitative approach using a structured questionnaire distributed to 51 respondents in the banking sector. The survey measured perceptions of organizational, social, and psychological factors impacting women’s career development. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the impact of these factors on personal factors related to career growth. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were also performed. Results: The findings indicate that social factors significantly influence personal factors (B = 0.257, p = 0.035), suggesting that social barriers are key determinants of women's career development. Organizational and psychological factors, while positively related to personal factors, did not show statistically significant effects (OFFF: B = 0.159, p = 0.164; PSFFF: B = 0.144, p = 0.275). The model explained 29.5% of the variance in personal factors, highlighting that additional unexamined factors may influence women’s career perceptions. Conclusion: Social factors have a significant impact on women's perceptions of career barriers, underscoring the need to address societal norms and biases that prevent women from advancing. Organizational and psychological factors, although relevant, were not statistically significant in this context. The study contributes to understanding the dynamics of the glass ceiling, particularly within Nepal’s banking sector, and provides insights for policy and organizational change. Novelty: This study offers a unique perspective on the glass ceiling in the Nepalese banking sector, providing empirical evidence of how social factors predominantly influence women's career progression. The findings suggest targeted interventions to address these barriers and promote more equitable career advancement opportunities for women in managerial roles.

“Our program manager is a woman for the first time”: perceptions of health managers on what workplace policies and practices exist to advance women’s career progression in the health sector in Kenya

BackgroundExisting evidence suggests that organisation-level policies are important in enabling gender equality and equity in the workplace. However, there is little research exploring the knowledge of health sector employees on whether policies and practices to advance women’s career progression exist in their organisations. In this qualitative study, we explored the knowledge and perspectives of health managers on which of their organisations' workplace policies and practices contribute to the career advancement of women and their knowledge of how such policies and practices are implemented and monitored.MethodsWe employed a purposive sampling method to select the study participants. The study adopted qualitative approaches to gain nuanced insights from the 21 in-depth interviews and key informant interviews that we conducted with health managers working in public and private health sector organisations. We conducted a thematic analysis to extract emerging themes relevant to advancing women’s career progression in Kenya’s health sector.ResultsDuring the interviews, only a few managers cited the policies and practices that contribute to women’s career advancement. Policies and practices relating to promotion and flexible work schedules were mentioned most often by these managers as key to advancing women's career progression. For instance, flexible work schedules were thought to enable women to pursue further education which led to promotion. Some female managers felt that women were promoted to leadership positions only when running women-focused programs. There was little mention of capacity-building policies like training and mentorship. The health managers reported how policies and practices are implemented and monitored in general, however, they did not state how this is done for specific policies and practices. For the private sector, the health managers stated that implementation and monitoring of these policies and practices is conducted at the institutional level while for the public sector, this is done at the national or county level.ConclusionsWe call upon health-sector organisations in Kenya to offer continuous policy sensitisation sessions to their staff and be deliberate in having supportive policies and other pragmatic interventions beyond policies such as training and mentorship that can enable women’s career progression.

Motherhood in academia: A novel dataset of UK academic women with an application to maternity leave uptake

AbstractMotherhood is widely believed to be an important factor slowing down the career progression of women. We present a novel database that combines an original survey of women and mothers working in the UK Higher Education sector with data on the occupational maternity benefits offered by academic employers. This allows users to track, at the individual level, child‐bearing experiences and employment histories simultaneously. We describe several aspects of mothers' experiences in academia and how those evolve over the years. We also conduct an empirical analysis of the determinants of maternity leave uptake, showing that women's employment status and family arrangements significantly impact the types of maternity leave – paid or unpaid – taken.

Gender Disparities in the Academic Performance of Neurology Residents in Portugal.

Implicit bias has been linked to gender disparities in medical careers, impacting not only access to leadership positions but also early career opportunities. We aimed to evaluate if there were differences in the assessment of Neurology residents according to gender. We collected publicly available grades and rankings of two major evaluations that residents are submitted to, one at the beginning and another at the end of the neurology residency program, the National Board Exam and neurology examination, respectively. The National Board Examination is a multiple-choice gender-blinded evaluation, while the neurology examination is an oral gender-unblinded evaluation. We found that 36.5% of women and 21.6% of men were in the first quartile of the National Board Examination ranking, which reflects a similar representation among top classifications when assessed through a gender-blinded examination. On the other hand, the percentage of men who were in the top classification of NE, a gender-unblinded evaluation, was more than twice as high compared to women (37.8% vs 18.3%, p < 0.05). The findings of the present study may imply that there could be a disparity in women's career progression among neurology residents in Portugal, although the recruitment seems balanced between genders.

Too many barriers to overcome? Career challenges of women in the UK hospitality industry

AbstractWomen face numerous challenges in building a successful career. The hospitality industry exemplifies workplaces where women find progressing careers to senior management very challenging. This paper explores barriers to women's career progression in the hospitality industry in the United Kingdom (UK). The study analyses the views of women in management positions in the UK hospitality industry on challenges they face in career progression. The findings indicate that women face numerous barriers in their career paths, and these include gender bias, microaggressions, work‐life balance issues, lack of gender diversity, inflexibility, and mentoring.

Identifying factors influencing women academics in STEM careers: evidence from a Latin American country

PurposeThis phenomenological study, conducted within the discourse on the underrepresentation of women in academia, examined the factors influencing the advancement of women academics in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprised twenty-one women academics from both public and private universities in Peru. Data were collected through in-depth interviews based on the women's experiences and subsequently processed using Moustakas’ (1994) stages for encoding, categorization, and analysis.FindingsThe study introduces a conceptual framework of nine factors – personal tastes and preferences, attitudes towards science as a vocation, care work, work–life balance, congruent gender roles, occupational segregation, lack of opportunities, low salaries, and lack of gender equality policies – that impact the career progression of women in STEM fields.Originality/valueThe results offer valuable insights for policymakers and academic authorities to address the barriers affecting women academics in STEM. The uniqueness of this paper lies in its investigation in Peru, a country with the highest female labor force participation in Latin America, where women constitute the majority of undergraduate program graduates.

P.112 Understanding obstacles: a neurosurgical view on gender disparities in career progression

Background: Gender disparities persist in neurosurgery, unfortunately impacting career progression for women. Understanding these challenges is vital for fostering inclusivity. Methods: An international survey designed using a physician wellness framework was sent to neurosurgeons between June 2021 and November 2021. Univariate analysis (Kruskal-Wallis Test) was performed to assess various aspects of perceived career progression as a function of gender. Results: Of the total 537 respondents (64% neurosurgeons, 6% fellows, and 30% residents), 69% identified as male, 29% as female, and 2% as other. Compared to their male colleagues, female neurosurgeons expressed greater desire to advance in their career (p&lt;0.05) and to leave their home country in the interest of job prospects (p&lt;0.05). Despite these aspirations, female neurosurgeons reported that they did not have available career advancement opportunities (p&lt;0.05), that the culture in their country inhibited their career advancement (p&lt;0.05), and that they felt subject to harassment at their workplace (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: Our survey highlights significant gender-related obstacles in neurosurgical career advancement. Female neurosurgeons express strong career aspirations but face barriers such as limited opportunities, cultural impediments, and harassment. Addressing these challenges is crucial for achieving gender equity in neurosurgery.

Temporal Availability and Women Career Progression: Evidence from Cross-Time-Zone Acquisitions

This study investigates whether an increase in the demand for nonconventional work schedules helps explain the gender gap in career advancement. We look at employees of U.S. firms acquired between 2010 and 2014 and distinguish between same and different time-zone acquisitions. The idea is that time-zone differences between the headquarters and the newly acquired firm increase the demand for and value of working outside the standard working schedule. This, combined with social norms about women’s role as caregivers, puts female employees at a disadvantage relative to men. Based on Zephyr-LinkedIn matched data, our results show that women are about 9.5% less likely than men to be promoted in cross-time-zone acquisitions than in same-time-zone acquisitions. The gap rises to 10.6% for managerial occupations, and it is higher for time-zone differences of two and three hours. We discuss the implications of our results for the management, evaluation, and retention of human capital in organizations and, more generally, for gender equality in the workplace. Funding: The authors thank the Editor and three autonomous referees for their comments on previous drafts of the paper. The authors also thank participants to the Strategy Science Virtual Conference 2020, the Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE) Virtual Seminars held in December 2020, the Wharton Technology and Innovation Conference 2021, and the Work and Organization Workshop held in Madrid in May 2022. The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Invernizzi Center for Research on Innovation, Organization, Strategy and Entrepreneurship (ICRIOS) at Bocconi University. S. Breschi also acknowledges financial support through the MUSA – Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action [ECS 000037] and the GRINS – Growing Resilient, INclusive and Sustainable [PE00000018] projects, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2023.17685 .

Bringing Women Back to Work in the Post-pandemic World

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women in the workforce, leading to a significant setback in gender equality gains. This paper examines the multifaceted challenges faced by women in returning to work post-pandemic and proposes strategies to address these challenges. It explores the impact of caregiving responsibilities, remote work dynamics, and systemic barriers on women's employment. The paper highlights the importance of implementing policies that promote flexible work arrangements, affordable childcare, and support for career advancement. Additionally, it underscores the need for organizational and cultural shifts to create inclusive workplaces that value diversity and support women's career progression. By addressing these issues, policymakers, employers, and society can facilitate the successful reintegration of women into the workforce, fostering economic recovery and advancing gender equality in the post-pandemic world.

Gender bender organizational barriers and women’s career progression: Evidence from commercial banks in Pakistan

The study aims to investigate the effect of gender bender organizational barriers on women career progression in Commercial Banks in Pakistan. The Perceived barriers were gender stereotype, socio-cultural beliefs, organizational structure, family responsibilities and individual characteristics. To serve that purpose, specifically branches of all public and private banks in twin cities i-e Islamabad and Rawalpindi, were selected. Survey research strategy was adopted to collect data from 252 branches of selected sample. Convenience sampling and random sampling techniques were used to select sample of branches. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among the three clusters which are top managers, middle managers and sub-ordinate. Collected data was tested on IBM SPSS by using multiple linear regression, descriptive statistics reliability and correlation analysis. The findings indicate that gender-specific organizational systems negatively affect women career progression in banks of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The theoretical support was provided by gender and feminist theories and Gendered Organizational Structure (GOS) Model” and its three sub-models.

The Impact of Motherhood on Women's Career Progression: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Interventions.

(1) Background: Despite the progress made by women in the workplace, mothers still face systemic barriers that prevent them from advancing professionally. This "motherhood penalty" involves a variety of discriminatory practices and experiences that mothers can face at work, including being held to stricter standards regarding salary and recruitment. Despite ongoing research on the association between motherhood and career outcomes, few studies specifically explore how motherhood impacts career advancement and, consequently, access to leadership. This scoping review seeks to gain an understanding of how motherhood impacts women's career progression, and how interventions can address the underrepresentation of mothers in leadership. (2) Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR framework, we analyzed 52 articles from 2010 to 2022, drawn from 10 databases. (3) Results: The results showed both negative and positive impacts of motherhood on career progression, affecting mothers' attitudes, feelings, and behaviors and yielding changes in interpersonal relationships and work conditions. Intersectionality is highlighted, urging a nuanced examination of challenges faced by mothers from a diversity of backgrounds. Recommendations for interventions include individual and institutional efforts, comprising societal support structures, organizational policy changes, and cultural shifts. (4) Conclusions: This scoping review offers an updated perspective on a classic challenge, providing practical insights for a more inclusive and structural understanding of the career trajectories of working mothers.

Exploring the Influence of Organizational Culture, Organisational Structure and Pay Structure on Career Progression for Women in the Tech Industry

Women's career progression in the tech industry is stagnant, which causes concern about the opportunities for women in this sector. This study explores the complex relationship between organisational culture, structure, and pay in shaping the progression of women's careers. The proposed conceptual framework illustrates the significant factors in promoting inclusive environments to facilitate women's professional development. The glass ceiling theory explains the systemic organisational obstacles that prevent women from advancing inside organisations. The results emphasise that organisations and policymakers need to tackle these barriers to promoting gender equality and establishing conditions that support women's success and economic empowerment.

Impact of Gender Discrimination on Women's Skill Development in the Workplace in a Northern Region of Peru – 2023

Decades, but with notable advances in access to education and labor participation, challenges remain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of gender discrimination practices on the development of women's competencies in the labor context in a region of northern Peru in 2023. An online survey was administered to 450 women selected in a nonprobabilistic manner. Results: Six research hypotheses were proposed, three of which were empirically corroborated: Workplace-&gt;Skills (?= -0.019), Skills-&gt; Career (?=0.701), and Employment Level (?= -0.128). Conclusions: Gender discrimination practices at work, on the one hand, have a negative impact on skills development but, in turn, do not affect women's career progression in the workplace; these findings also highlight the importance of fostering skills development in organizations to increase women's career progression in the work context. Finally, this study provides a general framework for the design of policies and strategies that promote equity, reduce discriminatory practices in the workplace, and maximize the potential of the female workforce.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 16 December 2023 / Accepted: 16 February 2024 / Published: 5 March 2024

Gendered Constructions of Luck at Work: The Case of Career Narratives of Female and Male Managers

There is a ubiquitous assumption that luck is a gender-neutral and equally distributed phenomenon. Drawing on 50 interviews with female and male managers, we examine their constructions of luck at work and demonstrate the gendered construction of luck in career narratives. Despite the dearth of attention to luck in the career literature, luck often features in the career narratives of professional workers. In line with the literature, we define the construct of luck as something outside the locus of control of individuals. Yet, we identify that luck is a gendered construct in career narratives. We demonstrate that while female managers define luck as receiving equality of opportunity in the process of their careers, male managers define luck as structures of support that offer them opportunities above and beyond their merit at work, which is a privilege that men appear to enjoy. The perception and interpretation of luck have far-reaching effects on addressing and comprehending gender disparities in career advancement, decision-making, negotiation and organisational leadership. Recognising the gender-specific impact of luck is vital in promoting gender equality and offering equitable chances for the career progression of women and non-privileged employees. It offers a persuasive option to challenge the dominant meritocratic assumptions on equality of chances, structures and the distribution of resources.

The gender citation gap: Approaches, explanations, and implications

AbstractDo women face a disadvantage in terms of citation rates, and if so, in what ways? This article provides a comprehensive overview of existing research on the relationship between gender and citations. Three distinct approaches are identified: (1) per‐article approach that compares gender differences in citations between articles authored by men and women, (2) per‐author approach that compares the aggregate citation records of men and women scholars over a specified period or at the career level, and (3) reference‐ratio approach that assesses the gender distribution of references in articles written by men and women. I show that articles written by women receive comparable or even higher rates of citations than articles written by men. However, women tend to accumulate fewer citations over time and at the career level. Contrary to the notion that women are cited less per article due to gender‐based bias in research evaluation or citing behaviors, this study suggests that the primary reason for the lower citation rates at the author level is women publishing fewer articles over their careers. Understanding and addressing the gender citation gap at the author level should therefore focus on women's lower research productivity over time and the contributing factors. To conclude, I discuss the potential detrimental impact of lower citations on women's career progression and the ways to address the issue to mitigate gender inequalities in science.

Understanding women’s roles, experiences and barriers to participation in ocean science education in Kenya: recommendations for better gender equality policy

Gender equality is critical to achieving transformative action, policies and change towards sustainable ocean management. However, historically women have been largely excluded from ocean science and management programmes, including education. Recent commitment to promoting gender equality in ocean science, notably in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, aims to ensure women have equal opportunity to engage in ocean science education, research, management and decision-making. This paper investigates the roles of women in ocean science education, the challenges they face, the root causes of these inequalities, and the existing interventions to advance gender equality in ocean science. Focusing on Kenya as a case study, the paper uses a feminist political ecology lens to explore staff experiences and perceptions of gender (in)equality in public universities. The data gathered through in-depth interviews revealed that women's participation in ocean science were limited by perceptions of their male colleagues who did not believe that women can do certain technical jobs. In addition, career progression of women was found to be slower than men's, women were more likely to be discriminated against during promotions and denied opportunities to develop their careers, faced sexual harassment and bullying, and experienced work-family conflicts. These factors adversely impacted women's participation and career advancement and thus their potential contribution to a sustainable ocean. This research also revealed some good practices that the universities had in place to tackle gender inequalities such as gender equality policies and staff given a specific gender equality role (gender focal points). In conclusion, we stress the importance of having gender-transformative policies, an effective implementation process, having women-specific support structures and having women in leadership positions as crucial for promoting gender equality and ocean sustainability.