Exploresearch (ISSN: 3048-815X) ( Vol. 03 | No. 2 | April - June, 2026 )

Organisational Barriers to Women’s Career Advancement: A Gender-Based Analysis from the Indian Insurance Sector

Author: Ms. Sangeeta Relan

Women’s underrepresentation on corporate boards continues to be a cause of concern despite policy and organisational level initiatives. One of the factors contributing to this is the predominantly male-centric organisation culture. Extant literatures reveals that such cultures place unrealistic performance expectations on women, fail to recognise their contributions and creates structural biases such as the glass ceiling and the Anytime Anywhere work norm. This study uses primary data gathered from 563 employees in the Indian insurance sector to examine the perceptions of the impact of such barriers on women’s career trajectory. Chi-square analysis is used to find gender differences in perceptions. The results validate the importance of structural and cultural barriers in influencing women's advancement and reveals significant differences in how male and female employees perceive them. While the findings may not be generalisable, they contain practical implications for organisations seeking to create inclusive workplaces with equity-based leadership pathways. This study contributes to literature by providing sector-specific empirical evidence from India on gendered workplace experience.

Relan, S. (2026). Organisational Barriers to Women’s Career Advancement: A Gender-Based Analysis from the Indian Insurance Sector. Exploresearch, 03(02), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.62823/ExRe/2026/03/02.227

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DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/ExRe/2026/03/02.227

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/ExRe/2026/03/02.227

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