ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
This study investigates the influence of organizational challenges on women's career development in the banking industry, The importance of this research lies in the influence of growth opportunities as a key factor in enhancing career development and performance. Using a qualitative approach and a case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 employees, participant observation, and document analysis. The results show that growth opportunities significantly improve career development and performance by increasing employee motivation and commitment. On the other hand, gender stereotypes has negatively effect with career development and performance, highlighting the need for fairness and implementing work equity management practices that support innovation and reinforce positive career development and organizational performance. This research provides valuable insights for leaders of the banking industry on the importance of choosing appropriate growth opportunities for their employees and emphasizes fair organizational culture in achieving business success. The study recommended that to minimize the limitation of self-reporting data, further study is required to adopt a quantitative research technique.
Abinaya, M. S., & Alamelu, K. (2022). Glass Ceiling Issues in The Indian Banking Sector. Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship, 16(1), 33-40.
Adams, R., & Johnson, J. (2019). The Intersectionality of Gender and Race in the Managerial Workplace. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 34(7/8), 608–622.
Agarwal, U., Shukla, B., & Singh, S. (2023). Assessing Glass Ceiling and Gender Inequality for Women Employee in Service Sector. Sachetas, 2(2), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.55955/220006
Alharbi, R., Elnahass, M., & McLaren, J. (2022). Women directors and market valuation: What are the “Wonder Woman” attributes in banking? Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions, and Money, 80, 101611.
American Association of University Women. (2020). Intersectionality and Gender Inequality. Retrieved from https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/intersectionality-and-gender-inequality
Arthur, M. B., Khapova, S. N., & Wilderom, C. P. M. (2012). Career success in a boundaryless career world. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(1), 4-7.
Aydogmus, C. (2019). Millennial knowledge workers: The roles of protean career attitudes and psychological empowerment on the relationship between emotional intelligence and subjective career success. Career Development International, 24(4), 297–314.
Barhate, B., & Hirudayaraj, M. (2021). Emerging Career Realities during the Pandemic: What Does it Mean for Women's Career Development? Advances in Developing Human Resources, 23(3), 253–266.
Barkhuizen, E. N., Masakane, G., & van der Sluis, L. (2022). In search of factors that hinder the career advancement of women to senior leadership positions. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 48, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v48i0.1986
Bendl, R., & Schmidt, A. (2010). From "Glass Ceilings" to "Firewalls" - Different metaphors for describing discrimination. Gender, Work and Organization, 17(5), 612–634. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2010.00520.x
Beraki, M. T., Tessema, M. T., Dhumal, P., Ready, K. J., & Kelati, S. (2022). Exploring the correlation between diversity and financial performance: an empirical study. International Journal of Business Performance, 23(1/2), 206–223. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBPM.2022.119578
Bernard, H. R. (2000). Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Birchall, J. (2019). Overview of social exclusion in Nigeria. K4D Helpdesk Report. United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office Institute of Development Studies.
Brinkmann, S., & Kvale, S. (2015). Interviews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (Vol. 3). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Cable, D. M., & Judge, T. A. (2020). The future of work: The science of the workforce. Oxford University Press.
Cappelli, P., & Keller, J. (2013). Classifying work in the new economy. Academy of Management Review, 38(4), 575-596.
Catalyst. (2020). Quick Take: Women in Male-Dominated Industries and Occupations. Retrieved from https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-male-dominated-industries-and-occupations/
Creswell, A., White, T., Dumoulin, V., Arulkumaran, K., Sengupta, B., & Bharath, A. A. (2018). Generative adversarial networks: An overview. IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, 35(1), 53-65.
Derks, B., Van Laar, C., & Ellemers, N. (2016). The queen bee phenomenon: Why women leaders distance themselves from junior women. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(3), 456–469.
Diehl, A. B., Chiu, C.-Y., & Hayashi, A. M. (2020). A practical guide to confronting gender bias in the workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(12), 1409-1427.
Diekman, A. B., Joshi, M. P., & Benson-Greenwald, T. M. (2020). Goal congruity theory: Navigating the social structure to fulfill goals. In Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 62, pp. 189-244). Academic Press.
Dugarova, E. (2019). Gender, work, and childcare in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Social Policy & Administration, 53(3), 385-400.
Eagly, A. H., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological review, 109(3), 573.
Eagly, A. H., Carli, L. L., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become leaders (Vol. 11). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Ekhator, E. (2019). Protection and promotion of women’s rights in Nigeria: Constraints and prospects.
Ellemers, N., Barreto, M., & Spears, R. (2018). Commitment and action in social judgment: On the interplay between spontaneous and controlled processes. In The Oxford Handbook of Social Influence (pp. 293-310). Oxford University Press.
European Institute for Gender Equality. (2021). Gender Equality Index 2021: Digitalisation and the Future of Work. Retrieved from https://eige.europa.eu/gender-equality-index/2021/en
Fouad, S. H., Fouad, N. A., Li, X., & Carvalho, J. (2023). Global perspectives on gender diversity and business performance. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 38(3), 305-321.
Gallagher, K. J. (2019). U.S. Patent Application No. 29/633,442.
Halima, S., & Rabo, U. M. (2022). The Challenges Faced by Women Professionals in the Development of the Society in Nigeria. The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 10(2), 29–34. https://doi.org/10.24940/theijhss/2022/v10/i2/hs2202-010
Hancock, D. R., Algozzine, B., & Lim, J. H. (2021). Doing case study research: A practical guide for beginning researchers.
Hiller, V., & Baudin, T. (2016). Cultural transmission and the evolution of gender roles. Mathematical Social Sciences, 84, 8-23.
Hoyt, C. L., & Murphy, S. E. (2016). Managing to clear the air: Stereotype threat, women, and leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(3), 387-399.
Hoyt, C. L., & Murphy, S. E. (2016). Managing to clear the air: Stereotype threat, women, and leadership the Leadership Quarterly, 27(3), 387–399.
Imado?lu, T., Kur?uncu, R. S., & Çavu?, M. F. (2020). The Effect of Glass Ceiling Syndrome on Women’s Career Barriers in Management and Job Motivation. Holistica – Journal of Business and Public Administration, 11(2), 85–99. https://doi.org/10.2478/hjbpa-2020-0021
Institute for Women's Policy Research. (2021). Still a Man's Labor Market: The Slowly Narrowing Gender Wage Gap. Retrieved from https://iwpr.org/still-mans-labor-market-slowly-narrowing-gender-wage-gap/
Institute for Women's Policy Research. (2021). Still a Man's Labor Market: The Slowly Narrowing Gender Wage Gap. Retrieved from https://iwpr.org/still-mans-labor-market-slowly-narrowing-gender-wage-gap/
International Center for Research on Women (2018). Gender Norms and Women's Economic Empowerment in Nigeria.
International Labour Organisation. (2019). Relevant SDG targets related to working conditions retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/dw4sd/themes/working-conditions/WCMS_558586/lang--en/index.htm
Islam, M. A., & Aldaihani, F. M. F. (2021). Justification for Adopting Qualitative Research Method, Research Approaches, Sampling Strategy, Sample Size, Interview Method, Saturation, and Data Analysis. Journal of International Business and Management. https://doi.org/10.37227/JIBM-2021-09-1494
John, K., De Masi, S., & Paci, A. (2016). Corporate governance in banks. Corporate governance: an international review, 24(3), 303-321.
Kerimova, I. (2021). Career advancement and gender equity in academia. Journal of Eastern European and Central Asian Research (JEECAR), 8(3), 389-410.
Kola-Oyeneyin, E., & Kuyoro, M. (2020). Nigeria’s banking sector: Thriving in the face of crisis. McKinsey [online] https://www. McKinsey. com/featured-insights/middle-east-and Africa/Nigeria's-banking-sector-thriving-in-the-face-of-crisis.
Kragt, D., & Day, D. V. (2020). Predicting Leadership Competency Development and Promotion Among High-Potential Executives: The Role of Leader Identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1816–1816.
Lindstrom, L., Hirano, K. A., Ingram, A., DeGarmo, D. S., & Post, C. (2019). "Learning to Be Myself": Paths 2 the Future Career Development Curriculum for Young Women with Disabilities. Journal of Career Development, 46(4), 469–483.
Liu, R. (2020). Do Family Privileges Bring Gender Equality? Instrumentalism and (De) Stereotyping of STEM Career Aspiration among Chinese Adolescents. Social Forces, 99(1), 230–254.
Liu, S.-F., Fan, Y.-J., Luh, D.-B., & Teng, P.-S. (2022). Organizational Culture: The Key to Improving Service Management in Industry 4.0. Applied Sciences, 12(1), 437. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010437.
Martin, A. E., Greenberg, J., & Herrera, V. M. (2016). It's not only who you are but who you were: Stereotypes, identity, and performance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 46(2), 91-106.
Mills, A. J., Durepos, G., Wiebe, E. (Eds.). (2009). Encyclopedia of case study research. Sage Publications.
Narayana, M. S. & Neelima, J. (2017) Work balance on women employees in the banking sector an empirical perspective. An International Journal of Advanced Educational Research 2 5 pp56 -61
Narayana, M. S. & Neelima, J. (2017) Work balance on women employees in the banking sector an empirical perspective. An International Journal of Advanced Educational Research 2 5 pp56 -61
Nathesan, S. (2017). End gender inequality. https://www1.nst.com.my/news/2017/03/219599/end-gender-inequality.
National Bureau of Statistics (2016; 2015). Statistical report on women and men in Nigeria
Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association (2021). Promoting Gender Diversity and Inclusion in Nigerian Workplaces.
Nigerian Women Trust Fund (2020). Gender Inequality and Discrimination in Nigerian Workplaces.
Njoku, B. J. (2023). The Evolution and Development of the Banking Industry in Nigeria, 1892 -2015.
Oh, S., & Jang-Tucci, K. (2023). Developmental Networks of Young Adults for Career Growth Opportunities: South Korean Self-Initiated Expatriates in Vietnam. Journal of Career Development, 50(6), 1229–1246.
Olusegun, O. O., & Oyelade, O. S. (2022). Access to justice for Nigerian women: A veritable tool to achieving sustainable development. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, 22(1), 4-29.
Orbih, M. U., & Imhonopi, D. (2019). Women in banking: Career choice and advancement. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 640, No. 1, p. 012127). IOP Publishing.
Osunde, O. (2015), “Labor market, demographic patterns and income inequality in Nigeria”, Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 341-354.
Paoletti, J., Gilberto, J. M., Beier, M. E., & Salas, E. (2020). The role of aging, age diversity, and age heterogeneity within teams. Current and emerging trends in aging and work, 319-336.
Parahoo, K. (2000). Barriers to, and facilitators of, research utilization among nurses in Northern Ireland. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 31(1), 89-98.
Parry, E., & Tyson, S. (2011). Desired goals and actual outcomes of managing diversity programs. Personnel Review, 40(3), 363-379.
Pew Research Center. (2020). On Gender Differences, No Consensus on Nature vs. Nurture. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/12/17/on-gender-differences-no-consensus-on-nature-vs-nurture/
Polit, D. F., Beck, C. T., and Hungler, B. P. (2001), Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal and Utilization. 5th Ed., Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Powell, G. N., & Butterfield, D. A. (2015). Investigating the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomenon: An empirical study of promotions to top management. Academy of Management Journal, 58(2), 491- 514.
Report: Lack of women (2017), in STEM due to gender stereotypes, http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/report-lack-of-women-in-stemdue-to-gender stereotypes#TdpEaJwXxhRZfV1F.97.
Roberts, L. M., & Maxson, J. (2018). Gender and racial composition in project teams: Implications for individual members. Academy of Management Journal, 61(5), 1932–1959.
Rosa, R., Drew, E., & Canavan, S. (2020). An overview of gender inequality in EU universities. In D. Eileen & S. Canavan (Eds.), The gender-sensitive university. A contradiction in terms? (pp. 1–15). London: Routledge.
Rožman, M., Liaw, Y. L., & Chen, M. (2023). Factors related to students’ psychological distress during COVID-19 disruption across countries. Large-scale Assessments in Education, 11(1), 38.
Rožman, M., Tominc, P. & Štrukelj, T. (2023). Competitiveness Through Development of Strategic Talent Management and Agile Management Ecosystems. Glob J Flex Syst Manag 24, 373–393 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-023-00344-1
Sahay, A. (2023). Closing Gender Gaps in Earnings. World Bank Group Gender Thematic Policy Notes Series. World Bank, Washington, DC.
Sandelowski, M. (2010). What’s in a name? Qualitative description revisited. Research in Nursing & Health, 33(1), 77-84.
Schmitt, M., Lauer, S., & Wilkesmann, U. (2021). Work Motivation and Career Autonomy as Predictors of Women's Subjective Career Success in STEM. Acta Paedagogica Vilnensia, 46(46), 73–89.
Schmitt, M., Lauer, S., & Wilkesmann, U. (2021). Work Motivation and Career Autonomy as Predictors of Women's Subjective Career Success in STEM. Acta Paedagogica Vilnensia, 46(46), 73–89.
Seijts, G. H., & Milani, K. Y. (2022). The application of leader character to building cultures of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Business Horizons, 65(5), 573–590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.07.007
Selzer, R. A., & Robles, R. (2019). Every woman has a story to tell: Experiential reflections on leadership in higher education. Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, 12(1), 106-124.
Shiang, L.S. & Ngo. E. (2020). Unconscious and Unseen Barriers: A Gender Study of Malaysian Women Engineers, International Journal of Communication, Management and Humanities AID Conference Proceedings, pages 108-117.
Smith, P., Caputi, P., & Crittenden, N. (2012). How are women's glass ceiling beliefs related to career success? Career Development International, 17(5), 458–474. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431211269702
Sparrow, P., Farndale, E., & Scullion, H. (2016). Global talent management: A critical review. Journal of World Business, 51(1), 142-152.
Subramaniam, I. D. and Arumugam, T. (2013) What is preventing Malaysian women managers' career progression?"
Tabassum, S., & Rafiq, U. (2023). Leadership challenges: Experiences of women leaders. Pakistan Journal of Social Research, 5(02), 563-571.
Taherdoost, H. (2018). Validity and Reliability of the Research Instrument; How to Test the Validation of a Questionnaire/Survey in a Research. International Journal of Academic Research in Management, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3205040
Tams, S., & Arthur, M. B. (2021). New ways of working: Impact on individual and organizational careers. Career Development International, 26(3), 281-303.
Teelken, C., Taminiau, Y., & Rosenmöller, C. (2021). Career mobility from associate to full professor in academia: micro-political practices and implicit gender stereotypes. Studies in Higher Education (Dorchester-on-Thames), 46(4), 836–850.
Tomaszewski, L. E., Zarestky, J., & Gonzalez, E. (2020). Planning Qualitative Research: Design and Decision Making for New Researchers. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 160940692096717. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920967174
Undiyaundeye, F. (2013). The challenges of women empowerment for sustainable development Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 2 11.
United Nations (UN). 2020a. Gender Equality. The unfinished business of our time. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/sections/issuesdepth/gender-equality/
United Nations Development Programme (2015), “Africa Human Development Report 2016”, Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Africa, Regional Bureau for Africa 1 UN Plaza, New York, NY.
Vaiman, V., Scullion, H., & Collings, D. G. (Eds.). (2020). Talent management: Theory and practice. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Vanguard Newspaper Nigeria (2019). Banks' effort to address gender disparities. Retrieved fromhttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanguardngr,com/2019/03banks-in-effortsaddress-gender-disparities-2/%3tamp
Welter, F., Baker, T., Audretsch, D. B., & Gartner, W. B. (2017). Everyday entrepreneurship—a call for entrepreneurship research to embrace entrepreneurial diversity. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 41(3), 311-321.
Winkel, A. F., Telzak, B., Shaw, J., Holland, C., Magro, J., Nicholson, J., & Quinn, G. (2021). The Role of Gender in Careers in Medicine: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Literature. Journal of General Internal Medicine: JGIM, 36(8), 2392–2399.
World Bank, (2019). Moving towards gender equality: A new index looks at legal reforms to help women’s economic inclusion
World Economic Forum. (2021). The Global Gender Gap Report 2021. Retrieved from https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2021.pdf
World Economic Forum. (2022). The Global Gender Gap Report 2021. Retrieved from https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2021.pdf
Yeoh, O. C. (2017). Challenging gender stereotypes in engineering, https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/03/210705/challenging-gender-stereotypesengineering.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications (Vol. 6). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Yörük, K. N. (2019). Evaluation Of Glass Ceiling Syndrome In Terms Of Gender Discrimination Perception. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Ara?t?rmalar? Dergisi, December 2018, 214–233.
Young, H. R., Glerum, D. R., Joseph, D. L., & McCord, M. A. (2021). A Meta-Analysis of Transactional Leadership and Follower Performance: Double-Edged Effects of LMX and Empowerment. Journal of Management, 47(5), 1255–1280. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320908646
Farhan, B. (2024). Visionary leadership and innovative mindset for sustainable business development: Case studies and practical applications. Research in Globalization, 8, 100219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2024.100219
Zhao, H., Wayne, S. J., & Glibkowski, B. C. (2019). The impact of psychological contract breach on work?related outcomes: A meta?analysis. Personnel Psychology, 72(4), 511-545.
Owunna, R., Aziz, F., Musa, S. N. S., & Ajobi, A. O. (2024). Organizational Challenges of Women Career Development: A Case Study of Banking Sector. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 13(3), 3051–3064.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode