Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasons and understand the problem that why
women are underrepresented in top organizational hierarchies as compared to men. To find out
what are the reasons for differences in the career progression between women and men, and
identify what type of barriers and challenges women are confronted with at their working
environment.
A term most commonly used to refer to barriers which prevent women’s career progression is
known as “glass ceiling”. The study is designed to examine the different factors and barriers that
thwart the career progression of women in an organization. Furthermore, the study also
investigates the lack of workplace laws such as promoting equal employment opportunities, male
dominated policies, and geographical immobility have restricted women’s opportunities in the
career progression.
The women of Asia suffer from some of the lowest rates of political representation, employment
and property ownership in the world. Their lack of participation, the 2010 Asia-Pacific Human
Development Report found, is also retarding economic growth, by pacificeyewitness.org (April
2, 2010).
The type of barriers normally faced by women in career progression as examined by
CareerWomen.com are in the following ratios as such; 96% barriers are due to corporate culture
favors men, 85% is due to the reason that women are excluded from informal networks, 78%
barriers are due to general stereotypes, 52% barriers women face are due to the perception of
management that family responsibilities will interfere with work, 45% is lack of women on
executive management team and 19% barriers are due to women herself place the barriers in her
way. Most of the reasons for barriers are also investigated in this study and studies done by other
researchers indicate the same barriers as well.
