How women traverse an upward journey in Indian industry: multiple case studies

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to present multiple case studies of women in leadership roles in India with a view to identifying inhibitors, facilitators and the strategies adopted by them to mitigate the challenges in their odyssey to these positions. The paper contributes to the pivotal subject of under-representation of women in apex positions, which has garnered the attention of researchers in recent years grappling with the identification of the underlying causes. Thus, with a view to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions, a greater understanding of this phenomenon is called for. Design/methodology/approach -The paper adopts exploratory case study method using multiple case studies. Empirical data were gathered using in-depth semi-structured interviews and personality test (NEO FFI) from women in leadership positions. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings -The analysis of data has led to the identification of challenges faced by the women that were categorised as personal, professional, organisational and social issues. Further, six themes emerged as the strategies adopted by the women leaders to overcome the challenges. The paper also highlights the critical social, behavioural and organisational facilitators that played an important role in their leadership journey. The paper also includes context-specific findings of women leaders from Indian industry. Practical implications -The paper would have relevance for researchers and practitioners in the field of gender diversity, leadership, organisational behaviour and human resource management. The findings of this paper can be leveraged by organisations to retain and manage female talent, which is a focal area in the present dynamic business environment, when a need for gender diversity is widely acknowledged by the top management in organisations. The exploratory case studies provide vistas for gender-based context-specific and cross-cultural research on the challenges faced by women executives in their leadership journey and the strategies adopted to mitigate these. Originality/value -Though a great deal has been written about the barriers to women's career advancement, less is known about the facilitators of women's advancement. Also, women in the Asian context face unique challenges which present a major problem for multinational companies whose hopes for growth are pinned on emerging markets. The paper has identified new emergent themes, which have not been mentioned in the extant literature nationally or globally. The findings provide inputs to companies to adopt policies and practices to facilitate gender equality in leadership. The paper bridges the knowledge gap and makes conceptual contributions for future research.

Enhancing Women’s Well-Being: The Role of Psychological Capital and Perceived Gender Equity, With Social Support as a Moderator and Commitment as a Mediator

“…Women have been facing discrimination and unfair treatment at work due to organizational policies and processes (Kanter, 1993). The gendered perceptions (stereotypes and gender roles) at the workplace further create injustice for women (Chawla and Sharma, 2016). The aforementioned causes lead to a feeling of discrimination and stress for working women, which in turn, negatively affects their well-being.…”

“…According to the World Bank Report (2016), women’s participation in the Indian labor force continues to fall from 34.8 to 26.7%, which ought to be a cause for concern for these organizations. Societal beliefs and expectations make working Indian women more vulnerable to stress, as they are expected to not only play dual roles at home and work but also to perform well in the workplace (Naqvi, 2011; Chawla and Sharma, 2016). The Nielsen Survey reports that working Indian women are the most stressed in the world, as 87% of working Indian women reported that they felt stressed, anxious, and unenthusiastic, while 82% said that they had no time to relax.…”

Personal Cognitive Factors Affecting Career Aspirations of Women Working in Financial Sector in India

“…According to NDTV (2014) Business India report, out of 28% of women entering the workforce, 14.91% reach the middle level and only 9.3% actually make it up to the top level. Extant literature suggests a number of reasons for Indian women’s slow progression in career including the existence of glass ceiling, workplace discrimination, gender stereotyping, family responsibilities and lack of contextual support (Chawla & Sharma, 2016).…”

“…Extant research on women’s career aspirations in the Indian context has emphasized the role of contextual factors such as glass ceiling and discriminatory organizational attitude affecting the career progression of women (Datta & Agarwal, 2017; Chawla & Sharma, 2016; Srinivasan et al, 2013; Dashora, 2013). While some have emphasized the role of internal factors (Menon-Sen & Kumar, 2001; Rajadhyaksha & Bhatnagar, 2000; McKelway, 2018), much of the existing observations are based on qualitative studies.…”

Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Modeling & Applied Simulation (MAS 2020)

“…There are many studies that discuss either one or more barriers to women entrepreneurship covering different geographic regions around the world. Some of these studies include: multiple barriers (Sharma, 2013;Chawla & Sharma, 2016)), risk-taking by women entrepreneurs, finances (Brindley, 2006;Irwin & Scott, 2010;Sandhu, et al, 2012), career progression (Ismail & Ibrahim, 2008;Chovwen, 2007), ICT (Mathew, 2010), are few studies on similar theme. In the context of Pakistan, there are scholarly studies that do discuss the challenges that women entrepreneurs face.…”