Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Kimberly R. Anthony

Abstract

Underrepresentation, inequities, and career advancement to senior leadership positions continue to present obstacles for Ghanaian women, affecting their performance in organizations. This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study aimed to explore and understand the lived experiences of Ghanaian women leaders pursuit of professional careers in 5 different organizations and how best to improve them. The conceptual framework used was Eagly and Karau's role congruity theory of prejudice and Scheim's leadership and organizational culture theory. The research question explored the experiences of Ghanaian women leaders pursuit of professional careers in organizations. Fifteen purposefully selected Ghanaian women leaders with at least 10 years of experience from 5 organizations were interviewed. Data analysis included coding, categorizing, and analyzing themes. The 8 resulting themes were gender discrimination, opportunities, promotions, mentoring and role models, work and family life balance, the wage gap, networking, education and experience. These findings indicated that Ghanaian women leaders are still underrepresented in organizations and lack support from policymakers and human resource personnel in their pursuit of professional careers. The results may inform policymakers and human resource professionals to revisit and revise organizational policies by promoting the same career advancement opportunities for women representation through inclusion, corporate support, and education. This awareness might contribute to positive social change across all organizations, influencing organizational performance.

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