A SYSTEMATIC INVESTIGATIVE STUDY ON THE PHENOMENON OF THE GLASS CEILING AND ITS IMPACT ON CAREER ADVANCEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

The phenomenon of the Glass Ceiling is implied to be a negative element in the growth aspect of employees. It is most popularly known to refer to discrimination based on gender and race. But apart from racism and sexism, discrimination exists in various forms, occurring to vulnerable groups he society, disrupting them to move up the organizational ladder or hierarchy. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to identify the Glass Ceiling in various aspects, such as in gender, race, religion, caste, age, economic status and place where they come from altogether, and how this has an impact or influence on the career advancement and organizational commitment of the employees in the companies. Research Design: Empirical research was adopted by conducting an online survey to gather primary data. A structured questionnaire is administered to a sample of 301 respondents including employees at different levels of management in private sectors. A Convenience sampling technique is recruited to collect data from the sample. Findings: The study reveals that there exists discrimination in the workplace mainly based on the gender and economic status of the employees. Occupational position proves to be an important factor to determine the Glass Ceiling phenomenon. However, commitment towards the organization doesn’t change much with the parity in treatment as employees work for the salary rather than satisfaction. Research Limitation: A large-scale or sizable sample and its data would have convinced generalization. Originality: This study examines the factors influencing the Glass Ceiling phenomenon in a holistic view including all categories of discrimination in a single paper, proving useful to organizations to adopt employee-friendly policies. Conclusion: Corporations must change a stereotypical approach they have incorporated and try to be more reforming, creating a better working environment for employees.