Striving Beyond Limits: Women Academics and the Glass Ceiling in Turbat, Balochistan
Downloads
Gender discrimination against women is a global phenomenon, though its extent varies across countries and even within different regions of the same country. In Turbat, Balochistan, women experience gender-based segregation, and many face restrictions in pursuing higher education. This research explores the challenges and invisible barriers encountered by women in Turbat with regard to accessing higher education and attaining administrative positions in higher educational institutions. A qualitative research approach was employed, using in-depth interviews with 30 women academics from the University of Turbat and Government Girls College, Turbat. The data were thematically analyzed, and the findings reveal that women face multiple challenges and structural barriers, highlighting the existence of a glass ceiling within the higher educational institutions of Turbat.
Maume, D. J. (2004). Is the glass ceiling a unique form of inequality? Evidence from a random-effects model of managerial attainment. Work and Occupations, 31(2), 250–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888404263908
Jauhar, J., & Lau, V. (2018). The ‘glass ceiling’ and women’s career advancement to top management: The moderating effect of social support. Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal, 10(1, Special Issue), 163–178.
Pardhan, S. (2018, June). Breaking the glass ceiling in academia. Journal of the College of Optometrists.38. 359-362
Afzal, S., & Akar, D. (2020, September). Existence of glass ceiling in structures and gender forms in the universities of Pakistan. Pakistan Social Sciences Review, 4(3), 36-51.
Maqsood, F., Maqsood, S., & Raza, H. (2012). Getting higher education: Is it really a challenge for females in Pakistan? Academic Research International, 2(3), 352.
Khokhar, A. J. (2008). Women Academics Leaders in Higher Education in Pakistan: Perspective of Females Students Enrolled in Higher Education Degrees. Pakistan Journal of Women’s Studies: Alam-e-Niswan, 25(2), 59-76.
Finding, S. (2013). Gender, education and employment in education in Britain. https://journals.openedition.org/osb/1563.
Bülbül, S. (2021). Glass ceiling in academia revisited: evidence from the higher education system of Turkey. International journal of sociology, 51(2), 87-104.
Cotter, D. A., Hersmen, J. M., Ovadia, S., & Vanneman, R. (2001, December). Glass Ceiling Effect. Social Forces, 80(2), 655-682.
Batool, S. Q., Sajid, M., & Shaheen, I. (2013, January). Gender and higher education in Pakistan. International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, 15-28.
Sahin, E. (2014, January). Gender Equity in Education. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2(1), 59-63. doi:10.4236/jss.2014.21007
Kurshitashvili, N., Carvajal, K. G., & Tamayo, C. M. (2021, March 08). Filling in knowledge gaps on gender equality in transportation. Retrieved from World Bank Blogs.
UNESCO. (2021). Women in Higher Education: has the Female Advantage put an end to Gender Inequalities? United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Panchani, D. M. (2017). Role of Higher Education in Women Empowerment. 42, 2454-3403.
Ramezani, G., Pourbairamian, G., Goharinezhad, S., Norouzi, A., Keshavarzi, M. H., & Sohrabi, Z. (2021, September). The Role of Glass Ceiling in Women’s Promotion to Managerial Positions from the Perspective of Faculty Members at Iran University of Medical Sciences. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10, 7.
Datta, N. (2018, March 8). The invisible door: Three barriers limiting women’s access to work. https://blogs.worldbank.org/jobs/invisible-door-three-barriers limiting-women-s-access-work
Yadav, R., & Khanna, A. (2014, January). Existence of Glass Ceiling in India. Research Journal of Indian Cultural, Social & Philosophical stream, 142-148.
Maguire, M., & Delahunt, B. (2017). Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars. All Ireland Journal of Higher Education, 9(3), 3351-3364.
Nazmul, A. K., Islam, N., & Alam, M. M. (2016). Glass Ceiling Factors, Job Satisfaction and Job Switching Decisions of Female Employees in Private Sector Enterprises of Bangladesh. The Business Review (Uttara University), 5, 79-97.
Evans, P., & Deluca, M. (2000, January). Social exclusion and children-creating identity capital: Some conceptual issues and practical solutions. Combating Social Exclusion Through Education. 47, 777-780
Varghese, N., & Panigrahi, J. (2019). India Higher Education Report 2018 Financing of Higher Education. SAGE. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334825453
Jehoel-Gijsbers, G., & Vrooman, J. (2007, January). Explaining Social Exclusion; A Theoretical Model Tested in The Netherlands. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research|SCP.
Shaukat, S., & Pell, A. W. (2015). Personal and social problems faced by women in higher education. FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 9(2), 101.
Eagly, A. H. (1987). Sex differences in social behavior: A social-role interpretation (1st ed.). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203781906
Ullah, Atta., Changezi, A., Baloch, S. K., & Batool, R. (2018). An Analysis of Key Factors Affecting Participation of Female Teachers in University Leadership: A Case Study of Universities of Balochistan. Balochistan Review,38(1), 127-139.
OECD. (2023). Education at a glance 2023: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/e13bef63-en
UNESCO. (2020). Global education monitoring report 2020: Inclusion and education – All means all. UNESCO Publishing. https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/report/2020/inclusion
Ferguson, T., & Roofe, C. G. (2020). SDG 4 in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 21(5), 959-975.
Correa, A., Glas, M. G., & Opara, J. (2024). Female in higher education and leadership: Insights from a multi-method approach. Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1485395. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1485395
Ghaffar, I., Rauf, S., & Khaskheli, W. A. (2024). Role of educated women in promoting sustainable development in Balochistan: A critical analysis of cultural, social and religious barriers. Pakistan Journal of Educational Research, 7(1), 55-70
Ely, R. J., Ibarra, H., & Kolb, D. M. (2011). Taking gender into account: Theory and design for women's leadership development programs. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 10(3), 474–493. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2010.0046
Safdar, R., & Rudi, S. (2017). Barriers to Women’s Representation in Academic Excellence and Positions of Power. Asian Journal of German and European Studies.
Bindu, N. H. (2022). A study on glass ceiling and its impact on the career development of women at workplace. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology, 8(8), 94-98. https://www.ijirt.org
Bell, M. P., McLaughlin, M. E., & Sequeira, J. M. (2002). Discrimination, harassment, and the glass ceiling: Women executives as change agents. Journal of Business Ethics, 37(1), 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014730102063
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Yaseen, Farhan Navid Yousaf, Zalya Habeeb

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.


