The Glass Ceiling Syndrome as a Reflection of Gender Inequality: Insights from Public Administration

One of the most obvious reflections of gender inequality is the problems and obstacles women face in working life. The “glass ceiling syndrome†on which this study will be based focuses on this problem. Glass ceiling syndrome refers to a structural and discriminatory phenomenon that can be observed in both the private sector and public administration and that essentially limits women’s access to senior management positions in their working lives despite competence, success, and merit, causing them to encounter invisible barriers in their career advancement process. This article aim is to address the glass ceiling syndrome, which reflects gender inequality, and to reveal it concretely with current data from Turkish public administration. In the study, a literature review was used for the theoretical framework of the glass ceiling syndrome, and frequency analysis (frequency and percentage distributions were calculated and presented with tables and graphs) was employed to reveal the quantitative projection of the glass ceiling syndrome in public administration. For the scope of the study, in the light of data obtained from the official websites of public institutions, a sample representing the gender distribution of senior public administrators (to consist of Ministers, Deputy Ministers, General Directors, Heads of Department, Provincial Directors, and, for district administrations, District Governors) has been formed. The main findings and results: only about 6% of senior managers in public administration are women; the promotion rate of women to senior management positions is statistically significantly lower compared to men, and institutional policies are not sensitive to gender equality.