Career Obstacles of Working Women: A Research in Eskişehir

In modern day information era organizations, manpower and machine-based production relinquished their place to power an agent is based on knowledge. In this regard, the competitive advantage provided by qualified intellectual capital accumulation and the gradual fading of influence of gender discrimination on employment did not create the same favourable impact on women’s managerial ratios whereas it increased the rate of employment for women. Despite the fact that women can not be promoted to managerial positions due to various organizational, social and individual career obstacles, surmountable career impediments and low female managerial ratios still remain an area of difficulty that maintains to be relevant to cope with since there has been no effective solutions to the issue.On the other hand, gender-based obstacles faced by women in work life are based on society and on the cultural values it is endowed with and the mentality of the individuals who are raised by the culture arising from this society. Once the issue is approached in this manner, the problem reveals the fact that collectivism turns into demeanor on individuals. To create awareness of this mentality is the primary concern of research. In the research, initially, career obstacles women face in work life are discussed in a theoretical framework. The results of the statistical analysis of the data obtained in the questionnaire survey conducted on 200 male and female managers working in an educational institution operating in the public sector in Eskişehir province were evaluated in the implementation part of the study. Analysis of the data obtained by the questionnaire implementation was executed through the SPSS 22.0 program. T-test, ANOVA test and Sidak Multiple Comparison test were applied to the obtained data. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient for the study scale was determined as 0,94. This is an indication that your scale is quite reliable. In order to test the validity of the scale, factor analysis was applied as well.As a result, it was ascertained that whereas female participants exhibited traditional attitudes by internalizing their perceptions related to gender roles, males demonstrated a more equalitarian attitude in this regard. Nevertheless, it has been observed that men’s equalitarian attitudes have become more traditional as they promote to administrative levels. Significant variations were obtained between whole scale dimensions and gender variables. It has been determined that female employees’ attitude towards female managers are in an adverse tendency. Female managers, on the other hand, have adopted masculine behavior and negative attitudes towards feminine behaviors in order not to be displaced in male dominant top management levels. It has been observed that women remain aloof to top management levels due to their intrafamilial responsibilities and male dominant decision-making mechanisms, however their attitudes toward career development are positive as their level of education and status increase. In addition, negative stereotypes of low-educated, single male employees against career development of women have been identified