Glass Ceiling Perceptions and Women’s Leadership Aspirations: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and the Moderating Role of Organizational Support

Abstract

This research aims to explicate the effects of glass ceiling perceptions on female leadership goals within the Karachi based, private-sector organizations and how self-efficacy mediates the relationship and how organizational support modulates the relationship. The research design was quantitative and a structured Likert-scale questionnaire was used to gather data of 250 women. The hypothesized relationships were tested by a PLS-SEM mechanism of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that the perceptions of glass ceiling have a negative and significant impact on the leadership ambitions of women. This relationship was also partially mediated by self-efficacy, which showed that psychological empowerment is an important factor to counter the impact of perceived barriers. The perception of glass ceiling and leadership aspirations moderate their influence on leadership aspirations through organizational support, which means that the negative effect of structural and cultural barriers is minimized in the context of supportive workplace practices. The findings indicate that any intervention that aims at promoting the career growth of women must consider the aspect of both personal confidence and organizational inclusiveness. The practical implications involve introduction of mentorship programs, clear promotion policy and gender sensitive HR practices to enhance the leadership potential of women. The paper is relevant to the research of psychological and institutional interactions that influence the development of female leadership patterns in the private sector of Karachi.