Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Rachel Gallardo

Abstract

In the United States, as of 2021, women comprise almost half of the entire workforce (46.8%), yet only represent 24% of top earning officers and 6% of CEO positions. A phenomenon known as the glass ceiling is recognized as an unofficial barrier to advancement within a profession or a company that specifically affects minority populations, including women in business. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the glass ceiling barriers to career advancement for professional women and gender stereotypes. The framework used for this study was based on the role congruity theory that proposes prejudice towards women in management positions occurs because inconsistencies exist between the perception of female gender stereotypes and those associated with traditional leadership qualities. Using a nonexperimental and quantitative design, data were collected from 144 participants using two online surveys. This study has three research questions focused on results of three statistical tests measuring the combination of 18 survey subscales for distinct groups with common patterns of scores and whether they differentiate men and women’s perspectives on gender stereotypes and glass ceiling beliefs. The findings of this study showed gender is a statistically significant variable accounting for 50.3% of the variance in the set of predictors. This finding was expected given the current disparity of viewpoints of men and women on women’s leadership ability in recent research. The findings from this study may help with the recognition of the need to develop policies and practices that would aid in the reduction of the glass ceiling barriers that continue to prevail.

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