The perceived barriers women face, often termed the “glass ceiling,” impact their career trajectories and commitment to organizations. Therefore, the study aims to examine the impact of the glass ceiling and its factors on organizational commitment and career advancement with the mediating role of organizational commitment and the moderating role of social support.
Using structural equation modeling in SmartPLS, first-order and second-order measurement models were also used to examine the effect of the glass ceiling on organizational commitment and career advancement, incorporating the influence of social support and the mediating role of organizational commitment.
Findings revealed that family responsibilities significantly influenced organizational commitment but not career advancement. Discriminatory promotion practices and employee relations significantly affected career advancement and organizational commitment. Contrarily, gender stereotypes did not show a significant impact. Glass ceiling negatively influenced career advancement and organizational commitment. Higher social support was found to decrease career advancement but mitigated the negative effect of the glass ceiling on career advancement. Organizational commitment played a mediating role between glass ceiling and career advancement.
Organizations should promote work–life balance to boost female commitment. Better employee relations and addressing discriminatory promotion practices are essential for women’s career advancement. Gender stereotype-fighting training should be prioritized despite its small impact.
This research uniquely examined the flourishing dynamics of the glass ceiling’s impact on women’s career advancement and organizational commitment while highlighting the relationship of social support as both a mitigating and constraining factor in professional growth.
