The glass ceiling experiences and professional challenges of female employees in travel agencies: A qualitative study in Düzce province
Women’s participation in the workforce has increased in various sectors both globally and in Turkey following the Industrial Revolution. However, despite this increase, women remain underrepresented in senior management positions. This situation points to the existence of invisible barriers that limit women’s career advancement and is explained in the literature by the concept of the “glass ceiling.” The purpose of this study is to examine the phenomenon of the glass ceiling that women face in their professional lives, the validity of this phenomenon under current conditions, and the difficulties women encounter in their participation in the workforce, specifically within the context of the tourism sector. In the literature, glass ceiling barriers are generally addressed in three dimensions: individual, organizational, and societal. Individual barriers are associated with women’s self-confidence, career perceptions, and professional attitudes; organizational barriers are linked to internal organizational practices, promotion processes, and discriminatory approaches; and societal barriers are related to traditional gender roles and expectations regarding work-life balance. The tourism sector is one of the areas where female employees’ experiences with the glass ceiling have become more visible due to long working hours, a fast-paced work environment, a seasonal employment structure, and working conditions that require emotional labor. Accordingly, this study was conducted within a qualitative research framework to examine the professional experiences of women working at Group A travel agencies in Düzce Province and to identify the barriers they face in their career development. Data for the study were collected through semi-structured interviews with three female participants and analyzed using content analysis. The study found that individual, organizational, and societal barriers affect women’s career development to varying degrees; recommendations were developed to strengthen women’s employment in the tourism sector and support their career development processes.