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110 THE RESEARCH PROCESS

executive positions. This study is an effort to identify the factors that currently
impede women’s advancement to the top in organizations.

A Brief Literature Survey
It is often declared that since women have only recently embarked on careers
and entered the managerial ranks, it would take more time for them to rise to
top executive positions. However, many women in higher middle management
positions feel that there are at least two major stumbling blocks to their advance-
ment: gender role stereotypes and inadequate access to critical information
(Crosby, 1985; Daniel, 1998; Welch, 2001).
Gender stereotypes, or sex-role stereotypes as they are also known, are soci-
etal beliefs that men are better fitted for taking on leadership roles and positions
of authority and power, whereas women are more suited for taking on nurturing
and helping roles (Eagly, 1989; Kahn & Crosby, 1998; Smith, 1999). These beliefs
influence the positions that are assigned to organizational members. Whereas
capable men are given line positions and developed to take on higher responsi-
bilities and executive roles in the course of time, capable women are assigned
to staff positions and dead-end jobs. With little exposure to management of bud-
gets and opportunities for significant decision making, women are seldom
groomed for top-level positions.
Women are also excluded from the “old boys” network because of their gen-
der. Information exchange, development of career strategies, clues regarding
access to resources, and such important information vital to upward mobility are
thus lost to women (The Chronicle, 2000). While many other factors impinge on
women’s upward mobility, the two variables, sex-role stereotypes and exclusion
from critical information, are particularly detrimental to women’s advancement to
senior level positions.

Theoretical Framework
The dependent variable of advancement of women to top management positions
is influenced by the two independent variables—sex-role stereotyping and access
to critical information. The two independent variables are also interrelated as
explained below.
Sex-role stereotypes adversely impact on women’s career progress. Since
women are perceived as ineffective leaders but good nurturers, they are not
assigned line positions in their early career but offered staff responsibilities. It
is only in line positions that managers make significant decisions, control bud-
gets, and interact with top-level executives who have an impact on their future
careers. These opportunities to learn, grow and develop on the job, and gain
visibility in the system help managers to advance to top-level positions. How-
ever, since women in staff positions do not gain these experiences or have the
visibility to be identified as key people in the organization with the potential to
be successful top managers, their advancement to top-level positions is never
considered by the system and they are always overlooked. Thus, sex-role
stereotypes hinder the progress of women to the top.