Date of Award

Fall 12-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

School of Public Service

Program/Concentration

Public Administration and Policy

Committee Director

John Lombard

Committee Member

Gail Nicula

Committee Member

Sheila Keener

Abstract

As gender diversity in the American workplace increases, the complexities surrounding the challenges faced by women continue to evolve. In recent years, this shift has led to an increase in women entering the workforce in record numbers, providing them with opportunities for successful careers, particularly with respect to leadership, all while balancing work and family life. However, despite the significant gains women have made in the employment arena, they continue to lag behind their male counterparts when it comes to leadership opportunities. While research is abundant on the characteristics of female leaders, what motivates them, and how they compare to their male counterparts in leadership approach and style, considerably less attention has been given to how women influence the successes or failures of other women as they attempt to advance in their professional journeys. The purpose of this study is to examine the dual role that women in the workforce play as both facilitators and barriers to the career advancement of female leaders. This research will shed light on which gender more frequently promotes opportunities for female leaders, and which gender is more often throwing up roadblocks. A comparative analysis will examine practices across three employment sectors, government, non-profit, and corporate, as well as across three generational cohorts of women in the workforce. This qualitative study draws on in-depth interviews of 55 female leaders across employment sectors and workforce generations. Participants are residents of the United States with geographic, racial, generational, and industry diversity. Exploring the facilitators and barriers to female career advancement has practical implications for organizations of all sizes and types, including the Public Administration (PA) field. The future success of PA is dependent on the readiness and advancement of both men and women in the field. Understanding how women may be getting in the way of other women to succeed and how they may be serving as facilitators in female advancement is essential for public policy development, leadership succession planning, equity and diversity in leadership, and the array of public services delivered to the communities in which we live, work, and grow. Ultimately, the findings from this study will contribute to the growing body of literature on what organizations and individuals can do to prepare, promote, and retain female leaders.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/0d8r-kq44

ISBN

9798276042497

Download

Share

COinS