Turnover intention of women employees: the role of career barriers and support system, mediated by work engagement

Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory, the present study examines the impact of career barriers and support system on the turnover intention of women bank employees, with work engagement as a mediating variable. Primary data were collected from 500 women employees, equally representing public and private sector banks in India, using a structured questionnaire administered through in-person surveys and online forms. AMOS 23.0 was used to conduct Confirmatory Factor Analysis to validate the measurement model, followed by Structural Equation Modelling to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings indicate that work engagement partially mediates the relationship between support system and turnover intention (H7), whereas its mediating role between career barriers and turnover intention was not supported (H6). the results provide actionable insights for banks, policymakers, and regulators to enhance women’s retention through structured support system, flexible work arrangements, leadership development initiatives, and gender-sensitive organizational practices. This research contributes originality by extending Social Cognitive Career Theory to examine turnover intention as a negative career-related outcome and by highlighting the mediating role of work engagement.