Investigating the relationship between selected organisational factors and women’s skills development aspirations and career progression: A South African case study

Abstract

Orientation: There has been increased research in the past century on women within the workplace; however, women still face myriad gender-related challenges in their careers.

Research purpose: This research investigates how selected factors in and out of organisations affect women’s skills development and career progression.

Motivation for the study: There is a pervasive perception that the rate at which women progress across hierarchy of work levels in organizations varies appreciably from the experience of their male counterparts.

Research approach/design and method: A positivist research approach was used, employing a questionnaire survey which was administered via an online platform to a sample of 412 women working within the service sector in the Gauteng province of South Africa, using a convenient non-probability sampling method. The relationship between the dependent and independent variables was analysed using the structural equation modelling approach.

Main findings: Results reveal that workplace support strategies and personal attributes influence women’s skills development. Workplace support strategies, family responsibilities, personal attributes and skills development also play vital roles in women’s career progression.

Practical/managerial implications: To promote gender equity and stimulate a career path for women, organisational support and deliberate women’s skills development initiatives must be engendered.

Contribution/value-add: The empirical evidence demonstrates the positive effect that organisational support and personal responsibility have on women’s skills development and their career progression, confirming that skills development is a predictor of women’s career progression.