Impact of Glass Ceiling Factors on Women Career Development

Abstract

This research study aims to assess the impact of glass ceiling factors on women career development of executive-level female employees in the IT industry in Sri Lanka. The research framework mainly highlights the impact of independent variables; personal factors, family factors, organizational factors, and cultural factors on the dependent variable; women career development. The study was quantitative and a cross-sectional study. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires through an online questionnaire survey, designed as a google form. The simple random sampling technique was applied to select the sample, and the final sample consisted of 101 respondents. The data were mainly analyzed using correlation analysis and regression analysis. The study's findings showed a strong negative relationship between glass ceiling factors considered in the study and women career development. Further, exhibited that glass ceiling factors; personal factors, family factors, organizational factors, and cultural factors have a significant negative impact on women career development. The organizational factors were identified as the most significant glass ceiling factor through the research study. It is suggested that women understand the importance of glass ceiling issues and should actively confront them to make their career development. Cross-validation of this study's findings to be done in various industries and different cultures comparatively among a more significant sample in subsequent studies is recommended, which will add more insights to the present study's substance.