A quantitative examination of gender's impact on the barriers of advancement to senior-level management positions

This comparative quantitative study examined the relationship between the experiences of men and women in senior management positions and compares their perceptions of specific barriers to career advancement. The primary objective of this research was to add to the body of knowledge on the glass ceiling and definitively determine whether certain experiences related to career advancement. The secondary objective of this study was to expand upon previous research conducted by Lyness and Thompson (2000) by addressing the 15 year gap in the literature demonstrated by a lack of consensus about the glass ceiling phenomenon (Jackson & O'Callighan, 2009). This research benefits both men and women seeking advancement to senior management positions by raising their awareness about how gender may influence potential barriers as well as improve opportunities for women to advance to senior management levels as a better understanding of the barriers women face allows for strategies to be developed to address the most significant barriers. This research tested whether men and women perceive barriers to career advancement differently. The results indicated that men and women have similar perceptions with regard to barriers and that women are receiving as many opportunities to take on developmental assignments as their male counterparts. Overall, that the glass ceiling has shifted and the results suggest that the PBCA (Perceived Barriers to Career Advancement) instrument used may not be applicable to today's work atmosphere due to lack of relevance in terms of the evolved distinctive characteristics and amount of barriers. The recommendation for future research is to widen the scope in terms of geographic, roles, experiences and qualitatively.