INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND RESEARCH (IJAER) e-ISSN: 3107-3913 ( Vol. 02 | No. 3 | July - September, 2026 )

Factors Influencing Women's Career Progression and Leadership Opportunities in the Corporate Sector

Author: Arya Nair & Dr. Sukhdev Singh

The fact that women are underrepresented in senior leadership roles continues in the knowledge-based industries even though the proportion of women in the workforce is increasing. This study looks at the organizational and work-related factors that are connected with women's progress in their careers and their access to leadership positions in the Indian Information Technology (IT) sector, an industry that is growing rapidly, has operations all over the world and generally has relatively progressive human resource practices. Based on Social Role Theory, the Glass Ceiling Perspective and Social Cognitive Career Theory, the study creates an integrated conceptual framework that connects eight organizational and work-related factors—organizational culture, leadership support, mentoring and sponsorship, training and leadership development, performance recognition, work–life balance, gender equality policies and gender bias—to women's career advancement and opportunities for leadership. A quantitative, cross-sectional research approach is suggested, with primary data to be gathered from 400 to 450 women employees in Indian IT companies, including multinational corporations, using a structured questionnaire. The data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. The research is expected to make its contribution to the existing literature by examining a number of factors related to organization, relationships, development and structure under one empirical approach and by providing evidence-based suggestions for human resource professionals and policy makers wishing to enhance women’s career development and their presence at leadership positions. Keywords: women’s career advancement; leadership possibilities; organizational culture; mentoring and sponsorship; gender equality; gender discrimination; Indian IT industry.

Nair, A. & Singh, S. (2026). Factors Influencing Women's Career Progression and Leadership Opportunities in the Corporate Sector. International Journal of Academic Excellence and Research, 02(03), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.62823/IJAER/02.03.267

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DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/IJAER/02.03.267

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/IJAER/02.03.267

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