Glass Ceiling Phenomenon and Women Career Advancement: The Nigerian Perspective

In recent years, the number of trained and qualified women in the labour market globally has steadily increased. However, despite this increase, the proportion of women in decision-making and leadership positions in organisations is still small. This observation echoes the glass ceiling phenomenon, a metaphor for invisible but prevalent barriers that impede women career advancement in organisations. While the glass ceiling phenomenon has generated research interest, several scholars argue that theoretical models have not adequately portrayed its implications on women career advancement. As such, this study is designed to examine the effect of the glass ceiling phenomenon on women career advancement in organisations. Six hundred female employees from mid-level management and above were surveyed for this study. It was found that the glass ceiling phenomenon has a significant negative effect on women career advancement in organisations.