"Great ideas have no gender, race, ethnicity, or age."
Work-family conflict is a major obstacle to women's efforts to rise to senior management positions. Women are subjected to pressures and compromises by themselves and the society over the time they need to devote to their work and family. With these concessions, as the time spent by women in the workplace becomes shorter, working subject to low wages, interruption of social rights and as a result of all of these, the halting of career progression negatively affects the place of women in the business world.
Women are constantly concerned that they will not be taken seriously, heard or move up the career ladder unless they suppress their gender and exhibit masculine behavior. For this reason, they make behavioral mistakes, thinking that they need to act in a masculine way in order to be accepted as good managers.
Most studies on glass ceilings state that organizational culture is the primary obstacle to women's career development. The masculine organizational culture prevents women from advancing to higher positions.
Mentor support has an important place in overcoming obstacles that women managers encounter in their career development. In addition, women who can get support from their relatives to cope with difficulties in their career journeys are better motivated to achieve success in their current careers.
Cultural prejudices that perceive women as suitable for certain roles are deeply rooted in society. The first of these cultural prejudices is that men are leaders and women are followers who support them at work. Another is that women are deemed worthy for care, housekeeping, secretary, etc. professions. Such stereotypes have impressed indelible marks on people's mentality. In addition to the fact that women have higher academic qualifications than men on average, women's abilities and behaviors, socialization skills and attitudes do not in any way make women inadequate to take leadership positions.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Gülay Tamer, Res. Asst. Semanur Oktay, Res. Asst. Gözde Tetik
