Investigation of the Career Development Experiences of Women Managers: An Analysis From a Gender Perspective

Study Focus And Theoretical Approach

Career refers to the progress, regression and pauses that occur in the relationship between professional roles and other life roles in the period from birth to death of the individual (Yeşilyaprak, 2011). The concept of career development has come to the fore as career is considered as a series of events that continue throughout life. Career development describes the factors and processes that affect individual career behaviors (Herr, 2001) . Various theories mention the impact of many factors on career development. One of these factors is gender (Patton & McMahon, 2006). Specially when examined in terms of multiple roles, inequalities encountered in business life, and career obstacles, a different context emerges in women's career development from that of men (Betz, 2008). Similarly, the role of gender differences in the career development of managers has been emphasized by various studies in the literature (Lyness & Schrader, 2006; Oakley, 2000). The most obvious of these is the proportional differences between men and women reaching managerial positions.

Articles 23 and 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights state that “Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to freedom from unemployment and to harmonious and equitable conditions of work. Everyone has the right to equal work and equal remuneration for work. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration which enables him to provide for himself and his family a decent standard of living and social protection.” However, despite this universally accepted agreement, women face inequality in many aspects in working life compared to men with equal education and qualifications. This inequality that women face in working life increases even more when it comes to managerial positions. The fact that women are less represented in managerial positions compared to men is considered gender discrimination (Yörük Karakılıç, 2019). This discrimination, shaped on the basis of gender, occurs when women are less involved in senior management, even though they are at the same level as men in terms of education, experience and professional competence.