PHINMA UNIVERSITY OF PANGASINAN
Dagupan City
School of Graduate and Professional Studies
Master in Business Administration
Breaking the Madness of Masculinity
A Qualitative Research on How Women Will Break the Glass
Ceiling
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in
HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION
Submitted to:
Pina T. Cochangco, MBA
Professor
Submitted by:
Christine Ann C. Castelo
Aiza Mae P. Olavario
Jhenny Ann D. Pacheco
Karen B. Villegas
Second Semester
Academic Year 2019-2020
I.
The Problem
Overview of the Study
The issue of gender equality in employment has given
rise to numerous policies in advanced industrial countries, all
aimed at tackling gender discrimination regarding recruitment,
salary and promotion, yet gender inequalities in the workplace
persist. The purpose of this research is to document the
psychosocial process involved in the persistence of the glass
ceiling against working women. Drawing on the literature on the
justification of discrimination, we hypothesized that the myths
according to which women's work threatens children and family
life mediates the relationship between sexism and opposition to
their career. According to Institute of Social Sciences, University
of Lisbon, Portugal, the funders had no role in study recommend
a male candidate rather than a female one for a managerial
position. In spite of consistent evidence that higher sexism is
related to greater bias towards working women, little is known
regarding the underlying processes linking sexism to
discrimination. This question remains an important one,
especially because the persistence of gender discrimination
contradicts the anti-discrimination rules promoted in modern
societies.
For instance, on average, women are more likely to work
part-time, be employed in low-paid jobs and not take on
management positions. There is evidence that gender
inequalities in the workplace stem, at least in part, from the
discrimination directed against women. Indeed, several studies
have documented personal discrimination against women by
decision makers, some of them having more specifically
examined the role of the decision makers' level of sexist
attitudes on discriminatory practices.
In this study, the researcher aims to discover the
dilemmas, challenging roles, their shared experiences and
stories, hard work and to further explore the psychosocial
process involved in the stubborn persistence of gender
discrimination in the workplace, using a comparative and crosssectional perspective of national representative samples. The
researcher also adds to the gender debate of employment and
organizations by examining quantitatively experiences of
workplace discrimination. This study also aims to recommend
appropriate solution to their dilemmas, provide practical tips on
adjusting to change and breaking the ceiling walls with respect
to recruitment, promotion and job assignment.
Statement of the Research Problem
In the context of the workforce, women, especially
mothers, face stereotypes about being less committed to work,
undervalued in their performance and unable to fulfill an
expected ideal workload.
The perception about women lacking commitment to work may
begin the moment women marry, since there is an assumption
that they will become pregnant. Williams (2010) refers to this
phenomenon as hitting the “maternal wall.” After returning from
family leave, women notice that they are treated differently: they
are passed over for plum assignments, they are questioned
about their commitment to work, and sometimes they are
treated as if they have become less competent as a result of
having a child (Williams 2010).
However, the researchers demonstrate that it is work
experiences, not gender or family roles that predict commitment
to work. Feeling empowerment, together with strong career
commitment at work are characteristics that foster not only
greater satisfaction, but also opportunities to increase
competency, skill development and personal growth (Karasek
and Theorell 1990). However, workplaces that undervalue and
question employees’ work commitment and performance
appear to drive particularly women with children out of the fulltime workforce.
Accordingly, the researchers will also determine the
following:
1.
Are they aware/familiar with the artificial
barrier/organizational bias that prevent women
from advancing upward? Does it really exist? If
so, they will provide an example from their own
experience?
9.
As a woman, what are the struggles they have
encountered before they have reached their
position? What was the worst and best part of
being a woman in position?
10.
What are the sacrifices or what are the things
they have given up reaching the position that
they are right now?
11.
How are they able to lead or handle their
employees especially the males who are working
in the organization longer than them?
12.
Was there ever a time that they have thought of
giving up? If there was, would they mind sharing
the moment and how they were able to manage
to continue?
13.
What motivates them to work harder? How are
these motivations affecting their choices with
regards to their career path?
2.
Do they think there is a relationship between
gender and leadership effectiveness?
3.
Are there any differences among male and
female leaders/managers?
4.
What do they think are the barriers that prevent
women from being promoted to higher positions?
5.
What advantages do women have as leaders in
organizations, including their own organization?
14.
Do they have some advice for women that are in
their early part of their careers in particular?
6.
In their opinion, why is it particularly important to
have more female representation on corporate
boards?
15.
Are they happy in their career right now?
7.
How has their organization supported them, and
other women like them to be successful?
8.
What unique challenges do women still face in
the workplace?
Do they have any specific examples that
come to their mind in your own career?
These questions will help answer what are the dilemmas
of a hard working woman who aims to reach top level. The study
can help us to look beyond a type of hard working woman
decisions, experiences and feelings and pinpoint the issue of
work-life conflict faced by woman, which is a significant dilemma
which needs to be addressed in order to develop strategies that
will provide support for women who are balancing work-life and
family-life.
Objectives of the Study
Importance of the Study
After identifying and clarifying the problem, the
researchers specifically aim to:
1. Determine the profile of the participants in terms of:
 Name
 Age
 Marital Status
 Education
Given the issue of gender equality in employment has
given rise to numerous policies in advanced industrial countries,
all aimed at tackling gender discrimination regarding
recruitment, salary and promotion. Through discovering the
challenges and experiences and learning about the strategies
used by hard worker employed woman to balance work and
family, this study was developed to have a better appreciation
of a married, mother at the same time an employee woman.
2. To determine which type of family do they belong to
Review of Related Literature
Nuclear Family
Joint Family
3. To determine the personal life at home of participants.
4. To examine the Job Position of participants.
5. To determine the nature of work of participants, if the
work task can be done by man and woman.
6. To determine how long, the participants have been
working in her current company.
7. To determine how many total number of work
experience of participants have.
8. To determine how many organizations, have
participants been working for (including previous
experiences)?
9. To know how many promotions did participants have in
their career.
10. To test the participants given an opportunity of being
promoted to a higher-level position, and she willing to
take-up the additional responsibility?
11. To know how participants have been able to balance
their work life and personal life.
The studies suggested that gender played an important
role in the level of work stress, with women experiencing higher
levels of stress than men. However, several of the studies and
reviews suggested that gender was not an important factor in
the level of workplace stress. Moreover, the quality of the
studies and the ability to generalise from the studies varied
greatly on both sides of the argument. Consequently,
considering the evidence presented in the current review, it is
impossible to draw any firm conclusions regarding the role of
gender in the level of workplace stress. The literature
concerning stressors suggested that multiple roles, lack of
career progress, and discrimination and stereotyping were more
common for women than for men, and had a negative impact
upon women in particular. However, it is important to highlight
that the research was not conclusive regarding the negative
effects of these stressors. Finally, it may be useful if further
variables are considered in future research/reviews examining
the role of gender in workplace stress. Variables that may be
important to consider include occupation, education, ethnicity,
culture, age, socioeconomic group, social support, rank,
personality variables, family roles and responsibilities.
Gender and Workplace Stress
Research suggests that working is generally related to
positive health for women and men. However, as noted
previously, workplace stress is a major problem, and it has been
suggested that gender may be an important demographic
characteristic to consider in the experience of stress. While on
the one hand it has been reported that there are no differences
between women and men in relation to workplace stress, it has
also been noted that there are differences in both stressors and
the severity of stress between the sexes. It has been reported
that although women and men are exposed to the same
stressors, women are also facing unique stressors. Indeed,
Hofboll, Geller & Dunahooll suggest that it is important to
consider the stressors that are unique to employed women, as
this can increase the understanding of the specific needs of
working women. This is particularly important according to
Hofboll et all’ as several studies have found that the provision of
workplace support was more effective in reducing occupational
stress in men than in women. Research has reported that
women in particular are exposed to the following stressors:
multiple roles; lack of career progress; and discrimination and
stereotyping.
Multiple Roles
As the numbers of dual-earner households are rising,
the potential conflicts between the demands of family and
career are also increasing - these conflicts being well
documented for both women and men. Work and family conflict,
as a stressor, has been related to negative consequences
including reduced life satisfaction, lower mental health, and
decreased productivity, and it is therefore of great concern for
both organisations and individuals. Although, there have been
big changes in family structure and women’s labour force
participation, there have been only minor changes in
responsibility for domestic chores. Women continue to be
responsible for the majority of domestic chores and are
therefore experiencing the stress of coping with a double day.
Women are also more likely to take on other family-related roles
such as caring for elderly parents, and finding appropriate
childcare.
Multiple Roles as a Stressor
Langan-Fox 51 proposes that the more roles an
individual is involved in, the higher the potential for stress.
According to Nelson & Burke, women are particularly likely to
suffer from role overload (conflicting demands from different
roles). Nelson & Quick&dquo; conclude from their review of the
literature, on stress and women, that the career-family conflict
is one of the main sources of stress for working women.
Similarly, Davidson & Cooper 18 found that female managers
reported greater pressure than men from work and home
stressors. McDonald & Korabik’6 investigated stressors and
coping in 19 male and 20 female managers in Canada. It was
found that work and family interfaces were more often sources
of stress among the female participants than among the male.
Although both the qualitative (description of stressful
experiences) and quantitative methods (work-stressor
questionnaire) resulted in similar findings, the authors suggest
that the findings should be treated with caution due to the small
sample size. In Davidson et al’s study, it was found that female
managers reported higher levels of stress on the home/work
interface compared to the male participants. Greenglass,
Pantony & Burkes conducted a study with 555 teachers
investigating the relationship between work stress, social
support and role conflict, the latter referring to the conflicting
pressures from two or more sources. The role-conflict scales
were used and it was found that role conflict was significantly
higher in women than in men, and women had more role conflict
between their work role and each family role. The results
suggested that job stress was related to role conflict more often
for women than for men. An American study compared gender
differences in the antecedents and consequences of workfamily conflict. The participants consisted of 109 women and
131 men. To be included in the study the participants had to be
married with somebody who worked full-time, have children
living at home, and be in a managerial or professional job. The
data was collected by a survey instrument consisting of various
standard scales investigating the following concepts: work and
family involvement, work and family expectations, work and
family conflict, role-strain, quality of work life, quality of family
life, and life satisfaction. Significant differences were noted in
eleven out of seventeen gender comparisons. It was found that
it was more difficult for women than for men to achieve control
over competing demands generated from the various roles. It
was stated that ’professional women are expected to be
committed to their work just like men at the same time that they
are normatively required to give priority to their family roles. The
literature presented in the previous section suggests that
multiple roles is a source of stress. However the effects of
multiple roles are ambiguous and it has been suggested that
multiple roles can be a source of wellbeing. According to Rodin
& Ickovics, it has been suggested that being involved in multiple
roles expands possible resources and rewards, such as
different sources of self-esteem and social support. However, it
is pointed out that not all roles are good for women, and that the
nature and the quality of the experience within the roles are
important factors to consider in relation to women’s wellbeing.
Malley & Steward assume that work and family roles may be
sources of both strength and stress. One advantage of women
having multiple roles is that the dissatisfaction in one role is not
as important as a more rewarding role can create a balance.
However, it is recognised that there may be a problem, when a
new role is added, if the woman is not able to relax the level of
expected performance in the various roles.
Lack of Career Progress
The glass ceiling. The workplace is often portrayed as
gender neutral by management, but evidence suggests that
gender bias exists, and this bias contributes to working women’s
unique stressors. Lack of career progress has been suggested
as a major source of work stress for women and it has been
linked to negative health consequences and reduced
satisfaction. Women are still not properly integrated in many
organisational systems, and there is evidence that women face
a ’glass ceiling’ within the workplace. The glass ceiling refers to
a subtle but powerful barrier that limits women’s career
advancement to top management in big organization. Studies
have found that women are less likely to be promoted than men
in professions such as engineering and medicines. In addition,
management is male dominated even in traditional female
professions. Davidson & Cooper, conducted a study with 940
British managers and it was found that women were more likely
to work in lower level management compared to men. Contrary
to the male managers the female managers were likely to be
the first individual of her sex to hold that position. Cox & Harquail
investigated the relationship between gender, career paths, and
career success in 502 female and male MBAs. It was found that
the female managers and male managers did not differ on
overall promotions and career satisfaction. However, the female
managers experienced lower salary increases, less
management promotions, and lower hierarchical levels in
comparison to male managers with similar education,
experience, age, performance and career path. However, not all
research has found evidence for a glass ceiling effect. Powell &
Butterfield examined the role of gender in the promotion (to top
management) decisions. In contrast to hypotheses, it was found
that gender worked to women’s advantage, although the
greatest effect upon promotion was an applicant’s employment
in the hiring department. Women are underrepresented in the
levels of the organisation where the decisions are made, and
the informal networks where many power transactions occur are
often closed to women. Corporate politics may be specifically
stressful for women because of the lack of opportunities to gain
experience in the exercise of power and the exclusion from the
social informal networks. Women’s difficulties in finding
mentors, their social isolation, and lack of career advancement
have been linked to the incapability to access the ’old boy
network’ which included activities important for recognition and
advancement in many organizations. Brass-conducted a study
investigating gender differences in networks, interaction
patterns, and influence in organisations. It was found that
participants’ positions in interaction networks had a strong
association with levels of influence. Women were rated as less
intluential than men, and were not well-integrated into men’s
networks including the most senior network. In a follow-up it was
found that promotions were significantly related to level of
inclusion in the dominant interaction network.
Discrimination and Stereotyping
In the Supreme Court (in an Amicus Curiare Brief in the
case Price Waterhouse v Ann B) the American Psychological
Association stated on the basis of five decades research on sex
stereotyping, that evaluation of women’s work performance is
commonly attributed to factors not relating to ability. This has a
vital effect upon women’s career progress and organisational
rewards. Moreover, it was stated that women tend to be
punished when they act in a manner that is viewed as not fitting
into sex-related expectations. According to the American
Psychological Association-’’ (p. 1063) ’research 281 conducted
in the past 15 years has systematically revealed the cognitive
structures of sex stereotypes and the psychological process by
which they influence behaviour, including behaviour in the
workplace’. A study investigated stressors and coping in 19
male and 20 female managers in Canada. It was found
prejudice and discrimination were more often sources of stress
among the female participants than among the male. Similarly,
Bhatnagar states that men and women of comparable
competence are not evaluated or rewarded in an equal manner,
rather women tend to be underrated, but it is concluded that
further research is needed in order to investigate the stressful
effects of this discrimination. In a study Nlartell, Parker, Emrich,
Crawford & Swerdlin investigated, sex stereotyping in the
perceptions of executives. An executive attribute inventory was
developed and the participants, 123 male managers, each rated
one of four groups - women middle managers (MMs), men MMs,
successful women MMs, and successful men MMs. Sex
differences were reported on all but one of the attributes, with
men being favoured. The results provided support for sex
stereotyping on the attributes related to successful executives.
The authors suggested that the findings help to explain why few
women executives exist. It was demonstrated that women in
MM are perceived to be lacking what is needed to succeed as
an executive. This perception may have a negative influence on
performance ratings and promotions. Similarly, Fielden &
Cooper suggest that the belief that women lack what is needed
to succeed is often accountable for the discrimination women
managers experience in the workplace. In Davidson et al’s
study, described earlier, women scored significantly higher than
men on the subscale relating to pressure from discrimination
and prejudice. Moreover, when the data was analysed using
multiple regression with job satisfaction and current state of
health as dependent variables it was found that the pressure
from organizational structure and climate was the strongest
predictor variable for the female participants. The authors
suggest that this finding is in accordance with the problems
linked to ‘old boy network’ culture inherent in many
organisations. Hofboll et al propose that there are conflicting
expectations of women in the workplace. On one hand they gain
approval if they convey traditionally female characteristic such
as warmth and expressiveness, but on the other hand they must
behave in an individualistic power-centred manner if they want
to succeed professionally. In addition, there is still a wage gap
between the genders. Less qualified women earn less than
comparably qualified men, and having lower salaries has been
reported to be a stressor for females. Sexual harassment in the
workplace has been identified as a significant job stressor for
women. Sexual harassment has been defined as ‘any
behaviour of a sexual nature that an individual perceives to be
offensive and unwelcome’ (p.265). Women report more sexual
harassment compared to men, and women working in
traditionally masculine occupations are particularly likely to
experience this stressed. A study investigated sexual
harassment experiences, coping and psychological outcomes
of 747 women employed in the private-sector and at
universities. Sexual harassment experiences were measured
with The Sexual Experiences Questionnaire, and it was found
that low-level but frequent experiences of sexual harassment
had negative effects on psychological wellbeing. Multiple-group
discriminant function analyses indicated women who had
experienced low, moderate and high levels of harassment and
those who had not experienced any harassment could be
ordered on the basis of their psychological (mental health index,
Post traumatic stress disorder symptoms) and job-related
outcomes (job-satisfaction measurements). High levels of
harassment were related to the worst outcomes, and no
harassment was related to least negative outcomes.
Interestingly a majority of the women who had experienced
harassing behaviour in the workplace answered ‘no’ to the
question asking if they had experienced sexual harassment at
their present workplace. Similarly, Morrow, McElroy & Phillips
found that women who had experienced harassing behaviour at
work reported higher levels of stress than women who had not.
Work stress and women from ethnic minorities. There is a lack
of research investigating work stress and ethnic minorities.
Nevertheless, it has been reported that perceived discrimination
is a stressor for individuals from ethnic minorities. Mirrashid
compared stress and social support between white women and
women from ethnic minorities. The study found no significant
differences between the two groups in the level of work stress
or work/family conflict. However, minority women experienced
significantly lower levels of organisational support.
Women were not randomly selected for the study, rather women
were recruited in accordance to the objective of the study. The
interview instrument included both closed-ended and openended questions, and depression was measured with ’the
Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale’. The data
was analysed using multiple regression and it was found that
there were multifaceted differences in occupational stress
levels, social support and depression across race, class,
background, supervisory status, marital and parental status.
Challenges in the Evolution of Women’s Careers
Keeping all these information in mind, all we need to do
is take a look at the barriers, which are slowing down the
evolution of women’s careers. Some of these challenges refer
to the women role in families and in society as a whole.
Moreover, there are just a few role models for women, and
masculine corporate cultures are still the norm in many cases.
Women are the ones who take most of the family responsibilities
and it is hard to find some flexible work solutions. While gender
equality policies are generally in place, they are not properly
implemented and there is an inherent bias in recruitment,
selection, and promotion. Stereotypes against women and
discrimination can lead to real problems (which have totally
different dimensions depending on the culture). No matter the
diversity of potential barriers for women as leaders, they could
be grouped into two main categories: work-family challenges
and discrimination.
There are also other barriers keeping women from
accessing the top management level, which basically reflect
some general psychological differences between the two
genders. As women are more emotionally driven than men, they
tend not to act in an authoritarian manner, and in many cases,
it is hard for them to use imperatives and to show disapproval,
when it is the case. They are less aggressive than men and tend
to involve personally, to smile more, but also to give credit to
other people for their own success. As a plus, they are generally
available when people need them, as they prefer to invest their
time in building relationships.
‘Glass cliff’ is also a concept that has been used quite often in
the recent literature. It refers to the idea of choosing women for
leadership positions associated rather with deteriorating than
with increasing their performance, whereas the opposite is
found in the case of men (who are rather chosen for leadership
positions associated with increasing and not with decreasing
performance). According to the authors who identified this
phenomenon, the glass cliff should appear especially in the
case of a masculine industry and/or culture and this could
happen due to gender stereotypes. However, a recent study
does not support this theory, after a research on a highly
masculine IT setting in Turkey. There are also many other
studies that support or reject the hypothesis of the glass cliffs
and for sure this could be further explored. Results will always
be contextual, as it depends on a lot of variables:
feminine/masculine culture, field of activity, team structure
(gender, age, occupation, and previous experience), and so on.
principles and characteristics (such as using their intuition in the
decision-making process, being careful, getting a good work-life
balance, and social responsibility), as being in tune with the
basic cultural hypotheses with regard to the way men and
women think and act .
In general, women are better equipped for motivation
(they are energetic and enthusiastic), communication (they
make sure that their employees are well informed), feedback
(they update their team in terms of their performance), and
aspirations (they set high goals). Men are better at tradition
(building knowledge based on past experience), innovation
(they are open to new ideas and are willing to take chances),
strategy (seeing the big picture), being calm (they tend to keep
their emotions in check), delegating (they assign objectives and
responsibilities), cooperation (they are good teammates), and
persuasion (they sell ideas and win people over).
Feminine Leadership Versus Masculine Leadership
Furthermore, women tend to be better evaluated in
terms of empathy (showing good people management skills and
their needs by establishing a strong connection with their team)
and communication (by establishing clear demands from
others, expressing their thoughts and ideas clearly, and by
keeping a solid communication flow) when compared to men.
Also, women are better qualified in terms of people skills
(sensitivity toward others, being kind, having good listening
skills, and developing efficient relationships with their team and
their superiors). Contrary to popular belief, women have great
results on the leadership scale, which measures their focus on
production (women have a great interest in achieving their
goals; they have high expectations both from themselves and
their colleagues). Men tend to get good results on scales that
evaluate the focus on strategic planning and the overall
company vision.
If we compare male and female leaders, we can see that
it is an ever-evolving situation. There are some female
We all know that at the beginning of this century, the
professional activity was totally different from the reality
nowadays. There was no discussion upon flexibility and
innovation as phenomena characterizing the global economic
conditions and there were no such fast changes in technology.
Cameron calls these transformation changes in the culture of
Anglo-American capitalism and associates them with the
passage to the norms of traditional interaction (aggressiveness,
competitiveness, and individualism) to a new leadership style
focused on flexibility, team work, and collaboration in problem
solving.
Traditionally, the most appreciated leadership
characteristics were masculine in their nature. Yet, in the past
years, the researchers have shown that many of these traits
(assertiveness, individualism, and task orientation) did not
always contribute to the efficacy of leadership. Instead of the
leadership theory centred on The Great Man, the
transformational leadership has emerged, and its efficiency is
supported by more and more researchers. It is interesting that
many of the traits of the transformational leadership (such as
collaboration and empowerment) are associated traditionally
with women, which illustrates that many feminine features
contribute to the leadership efficacy. Fortune 500 showed how
the companies with many female managers have a much higher
average productivity of their own capital in comparison with the
companies with few female managers. Despite this information,
female leaders still deal with many disadvantages. Often,
people tend to attribute their success as leaders to some
external rather than internal factors and avoid placing them on
leadership positions.
Some authors showed that increasing the number of
female leaders has been accompanied by changes of theory
and practice in leadership. They also specify that the most
modern characterization of an efficient leadership found in the
literature and in mass media is heavily based on the
characteristics considered to be feminine. At the same time,
they state that if the leadership roles belong to more women
and/or are perceived feminine attributes, we will continue to see
a serious cultural change. It is a real success that many
analyses emphasize the fact that employees position female
leaders better than male leaders in more traits of the
transformational leadership (charisma, ability to motivate the
employees, and creativity in problem solving). Moreover, these
characteristics of leadership are considered a real support for
the efficacy of leadership. Subordinates of some of the female
leaders are more willing to make supplementary effort, are more
satisfied with their leaders, and are more efficient competitively
in comparison with the subordinates of male leaders. It was also
observed that women work harder than men in the same
position, and this difference is explainable by the strict
standards and exigencies manifested toward women.
Various papers published on this topic develop and
compare the feminine leadership with the masculine leadership.
The feminine leadership style was called social-expressive, with
personal attention paid to subordinates and with focus on a
good work environment; by contrast, the masculine leadership
style was described as an instrumental one, focused on giving
directions. Helgesen is one who made researches that led to
the identification of the differences between the masculine and
feminine leadership styles. The works of Hofstede are also very
well known at the international level and actually femininity
versus masculinity is considered an important cultural
dimension. Human traits that are generally attributed to men are
more present in some cultures, whereas the ones generally
attributed to women appear in other cultures. For example, in a
more masculine culture, like the American one, it is expected
that in CVs, people’s works are presented in superlative terms,
as they feel the need to show their qualities and sometimes
even more. For people living in a masculine culture, it is
important to win, to have recognition, to be promoted, and to
accept challenges. On the contrary, in Holland, we should meet
more modesty, as there is a feminine culture. People value
relationships and cooperation and generally think that work
safety is more important than challenges.
the sacrifices that they have made in order to break the glass
ceiling. This study which employs a mix of structured and
unstructured interview and questionnaire will involve social
interaction with the respondent (s).
II.
The principal aim in employing this research method is to be
able to get to the heart of the respondents, listen to their stories,
willingly express themselves as to how they have managed to
survive and become on top, for potential employees, as to how,
and what are the circumstances for them to reach the top since
each of them have different approach, and they’re experiences
are not always identical with one another. Through this, the
researchers are able to effectively conduct the study as specific
as questions are altered/removed/added base on the
respondent’s answers and additional circumstances.
Methodology
Research Design
The researchers aim to identify the struggles,
advantages, disadvantages, and experiences of women in
managerial position, as well as the potential employees who are
capable to take managerial positions, and how they are able
break the barriers/glass ceiling when it comes to gender
inequality in the workplace. Hence, this chapter explains the
methodology that the researchers adapted, source of data,
instrumentation, data gathering procedure used in order to
collect the information needed in the dissertation.
This study will utilize a mix of structured and
unstructured personal interviews and a set of questionnaires as
the research methodology. Interviews are most effective tool for
a qualitative research. They help you explain, better understand
and explore the research subjects’ opinions, behavior,
experiences, phenomenon and so on. Interview questions are
usually open-minded questions so that in-depth information will
be collected. Using this method of research, the researchers will
identify the factors or variables that can be considered as
drivers for the problem stated in Chapter 1 which will help guide
the researchers to identify, evaluate and the determine solution
to the problem. This method will be employed throughout the
course of the study.
Research Paradigm
This study aims to know what are the reasons that
women in workplace tend to find it hard to reach the managerial
position, as well as to uncover the struggles, experiences and
Sources of Data
For this study, the researchers used the primary method
in data gathering such as the mix of structured and unstructured
interviews and questionnaires. This data gathering sources will
be the researchers’ guide in identifying circumstances that lie
upon the problem and solutions that will help other women
break the glass ceiling.
Instrumentation of Data Collection
After the interview and other necessary procedures, the
researchers will gather all the relevant information obtained
through the interview and questionnaires conducted and
organizing the gathered data for analysis in order to determine
if the researchers were able to achieve their objective on why
the interview and questionnaires were conducted. After
determining that the gathered data is sufficient as the basis of
the study, the researchers proceed to analyzing and evaluating
the data gathered.
Before conducting the interview and questionnaires the
researchers, first ask the respondents if they are willing to be
interviewed and question regarding their personal life as single
working mothers.
After getting permission the researchers conducted the
interview and questionnaires on the time convenient for each of
the respondents. In conducting the interview and
questionnaires, the required information was gathered using
different interview tools (i.e. structured and unstructured) and
follow-up questions were asked for the researchers when it was
deeming that the answer of the respondent is not enough to
achieve the data needed by the researchers.
up the additional responsibility. Even in her busy and
hectic schedule as a Senior Manager/Team Head, she
is still able to manage her work life and personal life with
her family.
Respondent 2
The second respondent is a forty-three (43)
years old, married professional. She is working as a
Chief Operating Officer of a company. She’s been in the
company for 9 years now but has been working for 19
years for 5 organizations including her current company.
She had 2 promotions before she became the Chief
Operating Officer. She is already contented to her
current position and is not willing to take up additional
responsibility as she wasn’t able to balance her work life
and personal life.
Respondent 3
III.
Results and Findings
This chapter presents the results and findings of the
study and discusses with the respondents.
Brief Description of the Respondents
Respondent 1
The first respondent is a thirty-six (36) years old,
married professional. She is working as a Senior
Manager/Team Head of a bank. She’s been in the
company for 10 years now but has been working for 15
years for 3 organizations including her current company.
She had 5 promotions before she has reached her
current position. If will be given an opportunity to be
promoted to a higher-level position, she is willing to take-
The third respondent is a twenty-four (24) years
old, single professional. She is working as Sales Support
Staff as her first job and is still with the same company
for 4 years’ now. She’s been promoted once and is due
for promotion to a higher-level position. She believes
she was able to balance her work life and personal life.
Respondent 4
The fourth respondent is a twenty-four (24) years
old, single professional. She is working as a Marketing
Assistant, her first job and is still with the same company
for 4 years and 9 months now. She’s been promoted
twice and is due for promotion to a higher-level position.
She was able to balance her work life and personal life
as she enjoys working in her current company.
Respondent 5
The fifth respondent is a twenty-two (22)
years old, single professional. She is working as a
Revenue Officer 1 in a government agency. She’s been
working in the agency for 5 months now and is currently
taking her MBA (Master in Business Administration) to
use as a platform for her to be promoted to a higher-level
position. Even if she is only new and been working for a
short period of time yet, she believes she will be able to
handle her work life and personal life.
respondents described that the time with their families and to
their selves were being compromised, instead of having the time
to enjoy, relax and have time with their children, they are almost
always on the phone even at home to finish reports, approvals
and thinking about work.
The respondents said that they have experienced
biases: women being on maternal leaves every now and then,
have to attend to their children’s needs especially if it’s a
newborn and because of “preferegenes”, they just prefer a male
to be in position for some reasons.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Unexpected Findings
Amid the stereotypes being encountered by women in
their workplace, all respondents described moments which they
felt that they need to step up and move beyond their limitations.
The respondents were eager to point out that there is a lot more
store in them to not show to the world despite the biases and
hardships they have encountered until they have reached the
positions they are in. Being passionate, hardworking,
compassionate and being able to lead and not easily intimidated
were the keys to break the glass ceiling. Women are emotional
in nature, they always put their heart into whatever they do and
that is something an organization needs, a woman (like a
mother) who will take care of a company like its own.
Most of the findings shown in this study directly reflect
noted topics in the past research on breaking the glass ceiling.
However, unexpected findings were noted as a result of this
study that may result to future studies.
Challenges/Hardest Part
The other respondents detailed that women, although
emotional is something an organization needs to balance
decisions. To lead is already hard but to lead with a heart is a
different kind of leadership we need in an organization. Women
are very keen into details, they want the best out of everything
they do. Putting heart in everything they do. If asked if given a
chance to be promoted to a higher level position, they would still
Being a woman in position is not like being a cherry on
top. It is not just a title attached to their names. There were a lot
of struggles, hindrances and biases they have encountered
before they have reached their positions. It was not an easy
ride. All of them responded that they have sacrificed things in
order to achieve what they have right now. All of the
One of the respondents described being a woman in
position is challenging as she is working mostly with men but at
the same time motivating. It gives her a sense of satisfaction
whenever she is being appreciated for the things she worked
hard for. She also said that just let your voice be heard and don’t
be intimidated by anyone as long as you know what you are
doing, you will go a long way.
gladly accept the additional responsibility as they enjoy their
work.
The gathered data and information of the researchers
have answered the questions that we want to know and open
our mind that positions are just titles attached to their names.
We are now in the new generation and women has equal rights
and ability just as with men in advancing in a higher position.
IV.
Conclusion
Based on the qualitative research, women in the present
era are more competitive, eager to succeed, and they do not
hold back in making corporate decisions for as long as it is for
the benefit of the organization, and for as long as they are doing
their job right. They enjoy their right to control and benefit from
the resources, assets, income, as well as the ability to manage
risks and improve their economic status and well-being. These
women were able to make their way to the top because their
organization continued to support and motivate them to do their
best in every tasks they have handled. It was not easy for these
women because most of them have to give up their time for
family, leisure, and also themselves. They have proved that
women are known for being multi-taskers and compassionate.
They make sure that everything is properly organized, and that
you have to put your heart in everything you do, and every
decision you have to make. Women are known to be kindhearted especially in an organization, they see their staff or
employees as colleagues and because of that, the people
around them are able to work smoothly and effectively.
The respondents claimed that despite the gender
inequality, regardless of their age and length in service, they are
still qualified for promotion because of their exceptional skills
and capabilities. Women tend to be emotional, they easily get
affected when there are misunderstandings but it doesn't stop
them from achieving their desired success. Four of the
respondents said that they are still willing to accept additional
responsibilities or better, promotion, if given an opportunity and
it just shows how hardworking women are and how willing they
are to cope with the changes in their environment.
Every organization has female employees including the
male-dominated companies. It shows that organizations need
the contribution of women when it comes to their strength,
capabilities, and how they put their heart into what they do in
order to balance the decision-making in the organization’s
growth and success.
Most commonly, one of the reasons for the delay in
promotion for women, and even in two of the respondents’
answers, noticed that some of the organizations’ reason is being
pregnant. But creating and having a family has never been a
hindrance for these women to reach the top, or to be on top
because they make way to still do their job. Hence, women who
are determined and focused sees no reason or hindrances to
be able to do their job, that is why they deserve to be on top.
Based also on the respondent’s answers, it was shown
that ‘glass ceiling’ only applies to those company who has
organizational bias, and organizational bias does not merely
exist in these respondents’ companies. The result of these
women being empowered is because the organization in itself
gave these women the capability to empower themselves by
allowing them to make decisions on their own way.
Based on the researcher’s study on the struggles,
consequences, and success of these women rising on top, the
researchers recommend appropriate solutions in order for the
organizations to avoid gender inequality:

Organizations must not promote gender bias specifically
on male-dominated jobs. They must evaluate based on
strength, capability to do the tasks, making concrete and
definite decisions, and not look into the gender.

Companies should include establishing clear evaluation
criteria for hiring and promotion.

Consider putting more women in line and offer
leadership training for everyone capable of the task.
Women have equal ability just as with men. Through this
research, we were able to recognize the struggles that the
women are facing, and have concluded that there are
organizations who believe that women, same with men, has the
capacity to decide to difficult tasks, and they give different kind
of impact in contributing to corporate decisions. In this modern
world, women are already considered empowered, masculinity
does not come with men alone, and glass ceiling are only for
those who do not believe in progress and success, because
success does not have a face, and it does not have a gender as
well. Success is for those who believe they can always do
better, and for those who believe they can be best.
leadership training and sponsorship.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Cătălina Radu, Alecxandrina Deaconu and Corina
Frăsineanu. Leadership and Gender Differences—Are
Men and Women Leading in the Same Way?. Retrieved
February
1st
2017
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URL:
https://www.intechopen.com/books/contemporaryleadership-challenges/leadership-and-genderdifferences-are-men-and-women-leading-in-the-sameway2. Kristina Gyllensten, Stephen Palmer. The role of gender
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file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/The_role_of_gender_in
_workplace_stress_A_critical_.pdf
3. Gabriele Plickert Joyce Sterlinghttps . Gender Still
Matters: Effects of Workplace
4. Discrimination on Employment Schedules of Young
Professionals.Retrieved November 27, 2017 from the
URL: http://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/6/4/28
5. Catherine Verniers, Jorge Vala. Justifying gender
discrimination in the workplace: The mediating role of
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role+of+motherhood+myths&aqs=chrome..69i57.4370j
0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
QUESTIONNAIRE – RESPONDENT 1
Background Information
BREAKING THE MADNESS OF MASCULINITY:
A Qualitative Research on How Women will Break the
Glass Ceiling
Age: 36
Marital Status: Married
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Dear Respondents,
We find that women have an equal ability just as with
men in advancing to higher position. In line with that, this study
would like to know and understand the issues and struggles that
women encounter in an organization. We are administering a
questionnaire to understand the barriers women executives
(potential women executives) face in their career advancement.
In connection to this, we would like to ask a few personal
questions relative to your family as well.
We request your kind cooperation by providing us with
details that enable us to make appropriate inferences. Rest
assured that all information will be kept confidential and will be
used for research purposes only.
Yours faithfully,
THE RESEARCHERS
Note: “Glass Ceiling is a concept that most frequently refers to
barriers faced by women who attempt or aspire to attain senior
positions (as well as higher salary levels) in corporations,
government, education and non-profit organizations.”
1. To which type of family do you belong to?
Nuclear Family
⁄
Joint Family
2. Do you have dependents to take care of? Yes.
If Yes, who are they and how are they related to you?
My daughter.
3. Job Position: Senior Manager – Team Head
4. Nature of Work: Banking and Finance
5. How long have you been working in your current
company? 10 years
6. Total number of work experience: 15
7. How many organizations have you been working for
(including previous experiences)? 3
8. How many promotions did you had in your career? 5
9. If given an opportunity of being promoted to a higherlevel position, are you willing to take-up the additional
responsibility?
⁄
YES
NO
10. Do you think you have been able to balance your work
life and personal life?
⁄
YES
NO
Interview Questions
1. Are you aware/familiar with the artificial
barrier/organizational bias that prevent women from
advancing upward? Does it really exist? If so, can
you provide an example from your own experience?
Uhh, yes I am aware, that exist. Actually, in my previous job,
uhm, na-observe ko sya. Na it’s—uhm, na may ganun. Not
really sakin pero uh naobserve ko sya, (whispering) kailangan
ko ba mag ano? Mag-example?
Researcher: Kayo ma’am, kung may example kayo.
Kasi for example, ah sige. Doon sa previous job ko, uhm, I’m
also into auto loans, so syempre, auto loans, it’s a men—
actually yung auto loans, actually parang it’s a men type of
industry, tama ba? Oo, industry so, so syempre auto-loans
pagka nakakita ng babae, uhm, hindi nila masyadong, uhm,
naappreciate ‘pag babae yung naghahandle nung auto-loans,
nu’ng time na ‘yun. That was 10 years ago. Yes. So, ayun.
Ayoko na mag-detail (laughs)
2. Do you think there is a relationship between gender
and leadership effectiveness?
Actually for me, I don’t see any difference. It’s ano lang siya,
uhm, socially, iniisip lang ng—nasa isip lang ng ibang tao pero
for me there’s no difference.
3. Are there any differences among male and female
leaders/managers?
Ahm, well, meron syang difference in the way we handle yung,
in the—in the way we manage. Let’s say for example, women
are more democratic or we are more uhm, expressive compared
to men na medyo parang bossy? Ang—mas.. mas.. naku.
Parang mas bossy ang dating ng men versus women. More?
So parang yun nga. Ano? Difference, ng men and women? Yah,
I think mas, mas into, pag merong decision, I mean, problem
solving, I think mas, mas magaling ang babae. Ohhh (laughs),
mas magaling ang babae versus men.
4. What do you think are the barriers that prevent
women from being promoted to higher positions?
Well, one dun, is yung, being ano, pag nabuntis siya. Actually
pag ano, yung marital, pag naging pregnant ang women, so
more time—she needs more time with her family lalo na dun sa
baby, so syempre, nawawalan na sya ng, nahahati yung time
nya for work and uhm, yung family. And syempre pag bagong
pregnant, bagong panganak ka lang, syempre you tend to be
with your baby more often lalo na yung 90 days na maternity
leave natin and another factor, usually isang reason yun bakit
hindi gusto ng management yung maging babae kasi there’s a
tendency that she will be on leave for a longer period. So, I think
sa kin yun lang naman.
5. In your opinion, why is it particularly important to
have more female representation on corporate
boards?
oh, well, as I’ve said, mas magaling sa communication ang
babae, so, sa uh, sa corporate ladder, you need to be uhm,
parang ano bang tawag dun. There should be someone na,
uhm, paano ko ba i-explain, na—na parang mas may kailangan
na merong babae sa corporate world yun ba yun? So parang,
you need to be, there’s should be someone na parang mag
mitigate or, maging, mag-control ng floor kasi mas, mas very
attentive ang babae when it comes to details so parang sa tingin
ko—and of course kung ma-consider na meron marami dun,
yung ibang, I mean the other, or the subordinates will see na
hindi biased yung management na yun kasi they are open na
merong babae, women and men na leading his company so,
kasi kapag tinotally for lalaki yun magkakaroon ng notion yung
mga, yung ibang mga tao, the co-workers, na gusto lang nila
lalaki, so parang, if they see na meron, so it means that the
company is open or there is no gender, gender different—
gender.. anong tawag dun?
Researcher: Inequality?
yah, gender inequality dun sa company na yun. Aside dun sa
qualities na meron ang isang women leader. So I think kung
titignan mo in a broader picture—in a bigger picture yung effect
nun sa company. Yun. Tama ba? Tama sagot ko.
6. How has your organization supported you, and other
women like you to be successful?
Ano? how has your organization—, well, actually, ano, paano
ba? Well they opened the position for me even for auto loans,
even—even na sabi ko diba auto loans is a man world kasi you’ll
be dealing with a lot of, uhm, dealer principals na halos puro
lalaki kasi is an—sasakyan sya. Pero they still opened the
position to me tapos tinignan nila yung qualifications hindi sila
naging biased na, for auto it’s a man so very supportive naman
sila sa, so they listened to me, they see—parang ganon.
7. What unique challenges do women still face in the
workplace?
Women in general?
Researcher: Yes po.
Not lang as yung managers?
Researcher: Opo.
Well, women are more prone to harassment. So diba, so,
actually I don’t, wala naman akong na-experience dito—ah,
may narinig ako. May harassment, so, when you have a boss
na supervisor na male, so may tendency na that male figure will
take advantage of you as a women, so I think harassment yung
pinaka ano, yung challenge? Oo, so matatakot yung, may
tendency na matakot yung babae, that will hinder her career
pagka na.. may nafeel na siyang ganun.
8. As a woman, what are the struggles you have
encountered before you have reached your
position? What was the worst and best part of being
a woman in position?
Well, to be honest, diba nga, man world ang autoloans, so at
first, uhm, at first walang harassment sayang, joke lang.
tanggalin mo sa—biro lang at first ano, uhm, mahirap
makisabay sa mga lalaki. Sa autoloans kasi you need to deal
with men, male agents, and uhm, yun nga yung mga principals,
na you have to make buddy buddy paano mo gagawin yun kung
puro lalaki sila? So dun ako nag adjust, tapos, isa pa yung mga,
uhh mga male jokes ba na yung mga, kaya ako mabiro din eh,
kaya kaya ko silang sakyan kasi napagdaan ko sya so parang
kung magpapaapekto ako, paano? Hindi ako, kung
magpapaapekto ako na naaano ako sa mga biro nila na,
magiging—I’ll be very sensitive. Hindi ako—walang mangyayari
sakin. Hindi ako makakavolume hindi ako makakalabas
mahihiya ako matatakot ako. So, isa yun. Yung sa worst part.
Pero the best thing is, when you were able to gain their respect.
So, nasakyan mo sila, nakabiruan mo sila, pero hanggang dun
lang. Alam mo kung, parang nabigyan mo ng wall between
jokes atsaka yung respeto nila. Hindi naman necessarily na
kapag nakipag green jokes ka, or nakisabayan ka sa biruan ng
guys, babastusin ka na nila. Nasa pagsagot mo yun, tsaka,
yung, parang after mo silang sagutin, “Ops, hanggang dito lang
yan ah. Pagdating natin sa trabaho, respeto na.” and that is the
best part kasi, kahit na—nagawa ko siyang ipag mix ng hindi
naman—alam ko they do respect me. Parang ganon. Nafifeel
ko siya. So yun. Seryoso na ito. Okay, Sige (laughs)
9. What are the sacrifices or what are the things you
have given up reaching the position you are in right
now?
Aww, time, with my family, atsaka yung baby ko. So ayun, yun
lang naman. Yun yung pinaka sacrifice ko. Ano pa, oh wait wag
na—baka maiyak ako. Hindi joke (laughs)
10. How are you able to lead or handle your employees
especially the males who are working in the
organization longer than you?
uhm, sabi ko nga siguro ano, uhm, sabi ko nga kasi, I was able
to gain that respect, so parang, hindi ako masyadong
nahirapan. Hindi ako masyadong nahirapan, I had, I had one
subordinate na older than me. Sino ano, si… diba. At medyo, at
first medyo nahirapan ako na, uhm, makuha yung ano niya, trust
and respect niya pero, dahil nga ang babae is, dahil nga tayong
mga babae is more, is a good communicator, I can say a better
communicator than men, so, dun ko siya nakuha. So, nag-usap
lang kami tapos parang ano na, and then eventually everything
flows on smoothly naman.
11. What does it take to be a woman in a historically
male-dominated business?
what does it take? Hmm. Syempre ano, uhm, uhh, you need to
be more, you need to be an assertive type of leader or a person,
and you need to be confident. Hindi ka pwedeng, hindi ka
pwedeng ma-control or maging, anong tawag dito, maging
dependent yung decisions and opinions mo sa ibang tao, kasi,
yun yung, dun ka nila mapupull-down eh. Actually, parang, you
just let your voice be heard. Yun nga, magsalita ka, then you
can go a long way. Kasi pag nagpa-intimidate ka, wala na
hanggang dyan ka lang. Diba? So, para sa kin confidence yung
pinaka kailangan. Tama ba yung sagot ko?
Researcher: Tama Ma’am, ang ganda nga po ng mga sagot
niyo ma’am eh.
12. Was there ever a time that you have thought of
giving up? If there was, would you mind sharing the
moment and how were you able to manage to
continue?
Hindi. Ayoko (laughs). Hindi, hindi naman. Uhm, I don’t see
myself giving up in this position. Uhm, kasi nga the people I work
with are ano naman, are, are okay and they respect me as a
woman, tapos the management supported me they listened to
me so, hindi naman.
13. What motivates you to work harder?
How are these motivations affecting your choices
with regards to your career path?
So, siguro aside dun sa, syempre, motivator—motivating factor
mo is yung family pero aside from that, yung mga subordinates
na, na naiinspire sayo, nakakamotivate kasi yun eh, kasi when
they look up to you—hindi naman yung sobrang ano ah, not to
the extreme ah pero when they look up to you na, na, babae
siya pero, ako lang babaeng—dalawa lang kaming officer na
babae dito pero hindi naman ako nagpapadala nalang—I’m not
just being quiet na hindi masabi, ma-air yung gusto ko. So, yun.
QUESTIONNAIRE – RESPONDENT 2
Isa yun isa yun sa nagmotivate sa kin yung mga subordinates
na naiinspire sa akin aside syempre sa family.
14. Do you have some advice for women that are in their
early part of their careers in particular?
Para sayo ba yan? (laughs)
BREAKING THE MADNESS OF MASCULINITY:
A Qualitative Research on How Women will Break the
Glass Ceiling
Researcher: Para sa lahat po (laughs)
Okay, so, ano lang, so I think, don’t let yourself be intimidated
dun sa, sa mga guy, It’s a socially—it’s a social thinking that we
need to parang, mawala, matanggal eventually, not, I think not
totally kasi not all women has this kind—parang may ganung
point of view eh pero in general, nawawala naman na siya so,
don’t be intimidated. Be confident with what you do basta if you,
if you have a goal and yung career mo eh, parang, look at that
goal, so walang babae, walang lalaki and uhm, ano naman na
ngayon, the world is into na, equality although meron parin sa
side, but it’s up to you to be affected. So, ayun lang.
Researcher: last question, ma’am.
Ay, last na! (laughs)
15. Are you happy in your career right now?
Uhm, happy naman. Happy naman. Oo. Labas eh (laughs) Yes,
I am. So yun.
Researcher: Super happy, ma’am?
uhh, mahirap. Mahirap. Pero ano, pero uhm, pag masaya ka
naman sa ginagawa mo kahit mahirap eh ano, so okay padin.
Researcher: Thank you po.
Tapos na? Ganun lang pala (laughs)
Background Information
Age: 43
Marital Status: Married
Education: Bachelor of Science in Accountancy
1. To which type of family do you belong to?
Nuclear Family
⁄
Joint Family
2. Do you have dependents to take care of? Yes.
If Yes, who are they and how are they related to you?
Daughter
3. Job Position: Chief Operations Officer
4. Nature of Work: Operations, Institution
5. How long have you been working in your current
company? 9 years
6. Total number of work experience: 19
7. How many organizations have you been working for
(including previous experiences)? 5
8. How many promotions did you had in your career? 2
9. If given an opportunity of being promoted to a higherlevel position, are you willing to take-up the additional
responsibility?
YES
⁄
NO
10. Do you think you have been able to balance your work
life and personal life?
YES
⁄
NO
Interview Questions
1. Are you aware/familiar with the artificial
barrier/organizational bias that prevent women from
advancing upward? Does it really exist? If so, can
you provide an example from your own experience?
Yung artificial?
Researcher: Opo. Artificial barrier like, parang may glass ceiling
po between men and women.
Ako wala. Meaning, for me?
Researcher: Opo.
Ahm... wala. I uhh— Hindi ko siya na— Naexperience. Like sa
Phinma Ed hindi ko rin siya nafeel. Kasi it doesn’t matter kung
men or women as long as you ano, you perform? Ayun,
narerecognize nila yun. So wala naman sinasabi na, ‘Ah, pag
women may limitation’.
2. Do you think there is a relationship between gender
and leadership effectiveness?
Alam mo, naisip ko yan. Kasi, uh, maybe because of what I
observed, kasi di ba, minsan, sometimes, ako, very biased ako
when I choose people, I would really prefer women, kasi women
is very keen into details, so parang yun. And napansin ko rin,
kasi among the COOs, parang ako and ma’am (name of
Assistant COO) yung babae, different yung atake talaga pag
babae and parang si babae would go into details. Si lalaki kasi,
yung mga men na leaders parang yun lang, andun lang siya.
But there are some men, like si (Name of their boss), para
siyang babae magisip and uhm, madetalye din siya, uhm, yun
yung nakita ko rin na in general, because of the experience and
whatever I observed, iba yung style ng leadership pag babae.
Maybe because, ito lang yung naoobserve ko. So, parang
ganun.
Researcher: So parang pag babae, parang sa leadership niya
mas may heart or may another details pa po silang tinitignan.
Si babae kasi very emotional. But there are also tough na mga
leaders na babae. But most kasi its “emotion” pag babae.
3. What does it take to be a woman in a historically
male-dominated business?
Hmm, I think kasi, specially kung titignan mo yung line nung
mga boss namin, nung COO, lalaki talaga yung mga yun so,
uhm, for me, iba yung dating nung mga babae, uh, parang even
though dominant yung lalaki talaga lahat, but they, the
organization treat it equally, so wala namang by na ‘ah! Kasi
babae yan,’ parang ganun, wala, parang kasi they treat us
equally and ako yun yung parang magandang nakikita ko with
Phinma Ed organization, kasi, it’s not so much on the gender,
it’s more on the leadership skill nila.
4. Are there any differences among male and female
leaders/managers?
Researcher: So parang naexplain niyo na po yun kanina, yung
more on details, ganun po.
5. What do you think are the barriers that prevent
women from being promoted to higher positions?
Ahh, siguro sometimes is itong women kasi, yung tendency nila
is emotional. So when they do decisions, it’s not more, parang,
they mix to the decisions with the emotions that they have. I
think yun, one of the barriers din na, uh, nakoconsider. But there
are some women din na, uhm, they detach their emotions in
making their decisions, parang ganun.
Researcher: So mostly, emotional po talaga?
Yung alam ko, parang yun yung feeling ko one of the barriers.
Researcher: Parang sa tingin niyo na parang hindi talaga
kaagad napopromote yung mga babae.
Possible din yan. Kasi di ba sometimes in the business kasi, you
really need to make hard decisions, uh, that sometimes, you
have to set aside emotions.
Researcher: Pero ma’am narinig niyo na po ba yung ano kasi
ma’am dun sa amin is parang a daw po sa rason kung bakit
mahirap ang babae for promotion or maging top level is
Culture din isa eh.
Researcher: Pero yung isa ma’am is, kasi daw parang
nabubuntis sila ganun, meron silang times na maglileave sila ng
longer, unlike sa men na kahit naman magkaron sila ng family
is…
Hindi ko naman yun naisip.
Researcher: Hindi niyo naisip.
Possible yun kasi nga, parang yung gap na mawawala, pero I
think, uhm, what matters is, if you have the right leave, parang
hindi dapat siya barrier kasi parang ang sinasabi kasi niyan na
because of buntis, etcetera, parang you’re not a good leader
kasi pag nawala ka then it won’t continue.
Researcher: Pero hindi niyo pa naman naexperience yun, kasi
di ba po nanganak din po kayo dati, ganun, so parang nung
nanganak po kayo is continue pa din yung work niyo?
Yes, kasi they, parang cocontact ka nanaman, even though
minsan nga pag nagkakasakit ka, so kinocontact ka. You keep
in touch pa rin naman, so I don’t think so yun. For me lang
naman.
6. What advantages do women have as leaders in
organizations, including your own organization?
Hmm, advantage?
Researcher: Opo
Siguro one advantage niya is uhm, maybe because yung babae
so emotional, that they put heart into what they’re doing. Si lalaki
kasi ayos di ba, uhm, Dun nakikita yung passion talaga. But
there are, siguro based on my experience, pero meron naman
din. Siguro the passion of, uhm, being on top, leading a team,
alam mo yun. I think yun yung something na advantage ng mga
babae.
7. In your opinion, why is it particularly important to
have more female representation on corporate
boards?
Ahh… To balance siguro yung decision making, kasi
sometimes, if, pag lalaki lahat di ba, uhm, medyo kanina
sometimes yung mga lalaki they decide parang ok yan na yan,
sometimes si babae they would ask why, or sometimes they go
into details pa. Baka that would keep balance dun sa mga pag
mga board meetings. Hindi pwedeng lalaki talaga lahat.
8. How has your organization supported you, and other
women like you to be successful?
Hmm... Siguro it’s more on yung mentoring and giving
feedbacks talaga. Very important yung, I’m not only to women
lang naman but to all the leaders in Phinma Ed, uh, I know its
struggle to do feedback pero but based on my experience I
receive feedbacks kasi, so it really help me improve kung ano
yung weakness ko, and leverage dun sa strength ko, parang
ganun yung one thing that I experience dito sa Phinma.
9. What unique challenges do women still face in the
workplace?
Alam ko I heard, yun nga. Preferences. Ewan ko kung totoo.
There are some business kasi they would really prefer to
choose men over women. And I think because of na they feel,
they think that women are so weak. Kasi nga very emotional
siya eh. So, uh, I think yun yung kailangan na i-change na mind
set na kaya naman ng mga babae. Siguro bigyan lang ng
opportunity to shine as a leader yung mga babae. Kasi di ba
nakita mo most of the bosses ay mga lalaki, noh? I think, feeling
ko because yung mga babae, they’re weak baka culture din
natin yan na, uh, yung weakness ng babae ganun. Kasi decision
making is very important sa organization. And I think dun siya
medyo siguro natatag cast as very weak kasi sometimes
ginagamit niya yung emotions niya.
10. As a woman, what are the struggles you have
encountered before you have reached your
position?
What was the worst and best part of being a woman
in position?
Ako the best part was because I’m very into details yun yung
nagpaakyat sakin eh, uh, and the passion of parang doing
things, parang yun yung I think that has an advantage sa akin.
Like what is happening in Phinma Ed now, uh, hindi naman sa
nagboboast ako pero parang sometimes ngayon si Upang is
parang nilulook up in terms of how we do things, maybe
because I was very parang keen into details that, uh, sometimes
when the boss asks me, I can answer because alam ko yung
nangyayari sa company parang ganun, mga lalaki kasi minsan
parang, ok na yan, mga ganun.
Researcher: What are the struggles you have encountered
before you have reached your position?
Siguro struggles was, uhm, is how to face people talaga, how to
strategize, I think yun kasi very important as a COO you know
what to do, strategies, and siguro how to communicate with
people. Ako kasi medyo nahihiya, yun din siguro yung
difference sa babae and lalaki, kasi si lalaki hindi yan nahihiya,
sugod ng sugod, si babae kasi is parang very cautious yan, so
parang, minsan sigurista si babae eh, di ba. Even yung sa
pagbili nga di ba, kung makikita mo sa family, uhm, yung
husband is bili na, gusto tapos na, si babae hindi may iba pa. I
think isa yun din sa struggle eh na, uh, yung confidence medyo
nagbubuild up. One thing I admit is, uhm, as long as you know
what you are doing kaya mong harapin kung ano yung, uh,
challenges kasi yun yung one thing na namove ko sa board.
And I think yun yung one thing na nasabi din ni CBS one time
na I did my first board presentation, parang he was very happy
and sabi din niya he was impressed yung improvement kasi I
was able to deliver yung board report in a manner na
naiintindihan ng board and at the same time, uhm, when I did
the presentation pag may ibato na question alam mo yung
isasagot, kasi anything goes basta board meeting. So I think,
kaya it matters talaga at sabi ko palang sa inyo you need to talk
to the students, you need to talk to the faculties, talk to the
Consuelo, know what’s happening
11. What are the sacrifices or what are the things you
have given up reaching the position you are in right
now?
Sacrifices is time. I think yun yung very important and balance.
Pinagagalitan na nga ako eh kahit may sakit nagrereport pa din.
Pero parang a part of me pag hindi ako nakakapunta ng school
something is missing so I think yun yun—
Researcher: Parang part of your life na po talaga.
Oo. parang ganun.
12. How are you able to lead or handle your employees
especially the males who are working in the
organization longer than you?
Ah! I get to know them first and I need to blend in. I think yun
yung one thing, parang yung start nung kay Urdaneta hindi ko
muna inimplement kung ano yung gusto ko, you need to test the
water muna even with male or female ganun. So parang I get to
know him muna, ano yung strength niya and ano yung
weakness niya and dun ako nagpenetrate sa kanya. I think yun.
Researcher: So you blend with them muna before you ano—
Oo, kailangan muna makuha yung loob niya eh, I think that’s
uh, important as a leader and aside from that ano ang leader is
sa akin, ang Coo is just a position, it’s just a title, hindi naman
yan permanent. What’s important is how you treat your people
kasi yun yung something that they will remember you it’s not the
title that comes to a person behind the title. I think yun yung very
important thing. One thing I admire both of my life handling
people, mahirap talaga, mahirap siya pero ano siya fulfilling if
you saw yung improvemement yung nakikita mo yung tao mo
na is sumusunod, yun yung something na tinitreasure ko being
as a leader.
13. Was there ever a time that you have thought of
giving up? If there was, would you mind sharing the
moment and how were you able to manage to
continue?
Hmm… Siguro sa COO position kasi I feel that I was
undermanned kasi when yung kaming dalawa ni (former coo),
tandem kami eh so the task was divided pero right now kasi its
confidential, secret lang. its more on, uhm, meron akong 2nd
assistant that nagsstruggle pa din so I feel so alone. Even yung
There was a time when andaming hinihinging reports and I can’t
delegate it because hindi niya pa alam and I think yun yung
kailangan na I need to work out, na Phinma to test it out. Pero
So far dun kasi parang one day lang yun ang ginawa ko lang I
just vent it out to my co COO and talk it out parang ganun para
lang mawala yung frustations mo you can’t blame. And Siguro
niremind ka lang sa mission mo hindi nalang papatulan.
14. What motivates you to work harder?
How are these motivations affecting your choices
with regards to your career path?
Ako makita ko lang yung mga bata parang sila yung drive for
me to continue, parang sila yung strength ko eh. Not only you
say family but also yung mga bata, when you see them happy
tapos makikita mo yung success nila parang something that you
gain, uhm, it’s not only because nandun ka sa position but you
make a difference. I think yun.
15. Do you have some advice for women that are in their
early part of their careers in particular?
Haha para kay (ACOO) sana ito eh. Ako its more on work with
your heart palagi ko yang sinasabi yan sa inyo, work with your
heart and everything will, habits only. Kasi pag wala yung
genuine to serve, genuine to embrace the mission mahihirapan
at mahihirapan ka lang.
Researcher: Opo, para lang kayong robot.
Yah, ayoko nung ganun. Parang Ako I work hard for the kids
parang everything I do is for the kids, very passionate ako pag
sa trabaho maybe because kasi naexperience ko yan when I
was in high school yung struggle na, uhm, yung family mo
nahihirapan kasi marami kayo, financially challenged so I feel
ano yung ano sila ngayon, hunger for education tapos
nahihirapan financially kaya parang yun. Maybe because of the
experience nung time na yun.
QUESTIONNAIRE – RESPONDENT 3
BREAKING THE MADNESS OF MASCULINITY:
A Qualitative Research on How Women will Break the
Glass Ceiling
Background Information
Age: 24
Marital Status: Single
Education: BS Business Administration major in Financial
Management
16. Are you happy in your career right now?
Ay! Yes.
Researcher: Super happy po?
Oo. kasi sabi ko nga kina Jigs, in my ten years I have never felt
na yung time na, minsan kasi mafifeel mo yan na ano ayaw
mong gumising, tinatamad kang pumasok pero I don’t know
parang ten years was so fast na, uhm, hindi ko siya naisip as
work kasi parang nag enjoy lang because of the kids, I think yun
yun yung mga bata.
1. To which type of family do you belong to?
Nuclear Family
⁄
Joint Family
2. Do you have dependents to take care of? None
If Yes, who are they and how are they related to you?
3. Job Position: Sales Support Staff
4. Nature of Work: Banking and Finance
5. How long have you been working in your current
company? 4 years
6. Total number of work experience: 4
7. How many organizations have you been working for
(including previous experiences)? 1
8. How many promotions did you had in your career? 1
9. If given an opportunity of being promoted to a higherlevel position, are you willing to take-up the additional
responsibility?
⁄
YES
NO
YES
3. Job Position: Marketing Assistant
4. Nature of Work: Sales
5. How long have you been working in your current
company? 4 years & 9 months
10. Do you think you have been able to balance your work
life and personal life?
⁄
2. Do you have dependents to take care of? None
If Yes, who are they and how are they related to you?
NO
QUESTIONNAIRE – RESPONDENT 4
BREAKING THE MADNESS OF MASCULINITY:
A Qualitative Research on How Women Will Break the
Glass Ceiling
6. Total number of work experience: 3
7. How many organizations have you been working for
(including previous experiences)? 3
8. How many promotions did you had in your career? 2
9. If given an opportunity of being promoted to a higherlevel position, are you willing to take-up the additional
responsibility?
⁄
YES
NO
10. Do you think you have been able to balance your work
life and personal life?
Background Information
⁄
YES
NO
Age: 24
Interview Questions
Marital Status: Single
Education: Post-Grad/Masters in Business Administration
1. To which type of family do you belong to?
Nuclear Family
Joint Family
⁄
1. Are you aware/familiar with the artificial
barrier/organizational bias that prevent women
from advancing upward? Does it really exist? If
so, can you provide an example from your own
experience?
Respondent 3: Uhm, im not aware regarding sa barrier na yan.
Respondent 4: ah, ako naman. I have an idea but then so far di
ko pa naeexperience.
2. Do you think there is a relationship between
gender and leadership effectiveness?
Respondent 3: I think there is. Ah, if you will compare between
decision making, between men or women, I think mas indecisive
ang men.
Respondent 4: Gender and leadership effectiveness? Well I
think yes, meron, like for example kung paano I treat ng mga
men officers or supervisors ang kanilang staff versus on how
women supervisors, meron at merong difference and also with
regards to ahm kung paano nila ica-carry on yung task na
nakaassign sakanila, meron yung nababanggit ngayon or yung
madalas na issue na , this time mas matagal yung maternity
leave, kapag babae yung officer, so by that, nagkakaroon ng
difference, so some employers prefer to hire men dahil ano,
iniisip nila na kapag women magmamaternity leave yan lalo
ngayon mas matagal sya.
3. Are there any differences among male and
female leaders/managers?
Respondent 3: I think there are always differences, ahh, when
it comes siguro sa organizing, to-do's, mga everyday na
gagawin, I think magkaiba ang handling ng babae sa lalaki.
Respondent 4: Ako, I believe there is, kasi tayong mga babae
mahilig tayong mag multitask so even while thinking, mahilig
tayong gumawa ng mga bagay at saka mag isip ng mga bagay
ng sabay-sabay, but then for men supervisors, ahmm they focus
on one task at a time.
4. What do you think are the barriers that prevent
women from being promoted to higher positions?
Respondent 3: Ah I think, ahm, most likely yung ahh, doon sa
ano, sa when it comes sa maternal issue something, kasi kapag
women, meron tayong ano, privilege na i-avail yung maternity
leave natin, so yun siguro I think.
Respondent 4: I do agree with her kasi ahm, for example, I know
this someone na for promotion na siya then biglang ano, she
got pregnant, so nadelay, or not sure if natuloy na siya, I think
hindi parin until now kasi nabuntis siya, so it can be a factor.
5. What advantages do women have as leaders in
organizations, including your own organization?
Respondent 3: I think ang advantage siguro ng babae over men,
ahh, mas detailed ang mga babae when it comes sa mga detail,
sa mga sabihin na natin sa mga docs, mas medyo titignan nila
masyado, I mean, di lang sila focus sa big picture, I mean,
ahmm tinitignan nila kung ano pa yung magiging effect in the
near future.
Respondent 4: Ako, one of the advantages like ahhh, nabanggit
ko nga kanina, we are multitaskers, given that, kaya nating
gawin yung bagay na mas mabilis, mas mapapabilis yung work,
mas magiging productive tayo
6. In your opinion, why is it particularly important to
have more female representation on corporate
boards?
Respondent 3: I think nowadays kasi medyo outnumbered ang
lalaki sa corporate world so ang advantage siguro ay, ang
behavior ng babae is more on focus sila, multitasker sila, ahh
they are ahh, flexible sa kung anong task na binigay sakanila.
Respondent 4: I think ladies are compassionate so it can
balance yung ah kasi most men talaga when it comes to
supervision they are strict, so with the ladies that are being
compassionate to the feelings of their co-employees un nga
pwede syang maging balance, like give and take ng opinions,
meron opinions or insights yung mga babae na at some point
na hindi ganun sa opinion ng mga men.
irate branch officer na nagalit sa’yo, parang didibdibin mo na
yun but then as the time goes by, kapag nasanay ka naman na,
stronger kana dun sa field mo, maoover come mo na yung ah
challenges na yun,
7. How has your organization supported you, and
other women like you to be successful?
9. As a woman, what are the struggles you have
encountered before you have reached your
position?
Respondent 3: uhm, syempre bukod sa salary, salary you will
make ends meet, I think self fulfillment narin, kasi hindi lahat
ahh makakapasok, I mean nahahire so I can say na self-fulfilling
na rin na I’m in this position.
Respondent 4: Ako naman, this organization or company help
me because I’ve learned a lot of things I can say that until now
I’m still learning a lot of things my supervisor, from my
colleagues and then yung mga taong nakakatransact ko on how
todeal on different kinds of people nadedevelop ko yung sarili
ko.
8. What unique challenges do women still face in
the workplace?
Do you have any specific examples that comes
to your mind in your own career?
Respondent 3: Ah sorry, I don’t have idea yet.
Researcher: Any challenges, parang meron ba silang parang
dinadown ka ba, parang ganun, yung ibang babae ba may
nakaka-experience kaya parang na-out of place sa workplace,
mga ganung scenario.
Respondent 4: I think with regards to that, one of the unique
challenges that women face nowadays is being emotional, so
as women, we tend to overthink of the things every time or most
of the time and then for example meron ng i-rate client or ah,
What was the worst and best part of being a
woman in position?
Respondent 3: Well I think ah so far sa work ko, dati dalawa
kami so now ako nalang, bale I, ah I’m trying to parang ah, ako
nalang gumagawa ng task nya so I think that was a challenge
for me, yun.
Researcher: May worst and best part ka ba as a woman?
Respondent 3: worse part siguro yung sa dami ng trabaho ko,
natatapos agad on time I mean most of the time, monitoring din
kasi so may mga times na sige bukas to nalang to parang
ganun, best part siguro I mean ang pinaka best part dito is
mararamdaman mo yung compassion mo dito mismo sa
workplace kasi sa company di lang, hindi lang parang work lahat
I mean andito rin yung mga coworkers mo, yung mga
colleagues mo, you treat them as friend or as family din.
Respondent 4: Ako naman, struggles? ahm, so far there are
some, like uhm nung beginner palang di maiiwasan na may mga
irate clients lalo na pag nasa frontline tayo so uhm, oo nga, up
until now may mga ganung cases parin wherein may maeencounter tayong mga ka transact na i-rate na for whatever
reason they have, siguro yun yung worse part and then for the
best part naman, haha, best part? haha ahh not actually best
pero one of the struggles is yung ano yung effort na yung
mareach natin yung goal but kaya ko sya nasabing best part,
kasi napakafulfilling eh kapag naachieve mo.
10. What are the sacrifices or what are the things
you have given up reaching the position you are
in right now?
Respondent 3: Ahm, ahh ok I think yung time din, kasi alam mo
everyday alis ka ng bahay work ka, uwi ka ng bahay, pahinga,
ligo kain, and then yun work ka ulit I think malaking sacrifice din
yung time e kasi yun nga most of your time sa inaraw araw ng
pumapasok ka, nagrerender ka ng eight or more than eight
hours ng service di mo nagagawa yung mga gusto mo for your
personal and you are bound to do your ano job kasi kelangan
mo.
Respondent 4: Hmm, I agree with the time, and then also isa sa
mga sacrifices siguro or isa sa mga gini-give up natin ay yung
efforts natin, uhm time and effort na for example may kang iba
na or personal activities na gagawin but you have to check your
schedule kung may event ba sa office o kelangan gawin, so
kelangan nakaline up then with regards dun sa time ahh, yun
nga as Mikee said, minsan diba sasabhin nalang satin sa bahay
na para na tayong boarders, kasi uuwi tayo, matutulog nalang ,
kakain pagkagising kakain, tapos papasok na ulit so we spend
less time sa pamilya.
11. How are you able to lead or handle your
employees especially the males who are working
in the organization longer than you?
Respondent 3: Ako naman, wala akong employed, colleague
siguro, colleagues na ka-transact o kasama, ahh paano ba, ahh
we are actually teammates so with regards sa decision making
sa mga task na gagawin, kelangan naming magkasundo so
uhm we share opinions or ideas with regards to siguro kung may
isang situation na kailangang ahh gawin or matapos ahh yun
magshishare kami ng thoughts namin on how to resolve that
scenarios ganun.
Respondent 4: Ako naman, I don’t have any employee na under
din sakin but I do transact with other people na matagal nadin
sa serbisyo, so in able to handle them as if you’re partners, i
learn from them and they also learn from me parang ganun, give
and take.
12. Was there ever a time that you have thought of
giving up? If there was, would you mind sharing
the moment and how were you able to manage
to continue?
Respondent 3: Of course for four years na stay, syempre may
mga time na you are exhausted parang paulit ulit nalang yung
ginagawa mo daily ahh yun nga gigising ka, mag-tatrabaho, and
then pare pareho nalang yung ginagawa mo sometimes parang
you think you’re not growing anymore , so yun mapapaisip
ka(giggles) pero syempre sa other side naman ng brain mo, “i
need it” parang I need it, kasi ano I need to make ends meet
,uhm yung trabaho mo, and alam ko naman yung struggle kung
paano maghanap ng trabaho we've been there.
Respondent 4: Ahm ano ulit yung tanong? Ahm, yes,
honestly yes uhm, meron yung mga ganung time like uhm
when sometime, though I’m not saying na lagi, when you
feel unappreciated, then ahm yun nga, yung sabi nga ni
Mikee na nagiging routine nalang yung work like sasabihin
mo nalang sa sarili mo na I want to learn more, I want to
be more but then you can't kasi pare-pareho nalang yung
ginagawa mo. Then, but then kapag naiisip ko yung about
sa giving up ahm, ginagawa ko nalang, nagseset ako ng
timeline sa sarili ko, and then sabi ko, dapat atleast every
two years is nagkakaroon ako ng growth sa work ko so on
my second year na promote naman ako then fourth year
ko na so I think and i feel like I’m still on track so yun.
13. What motivates you to work harder?
How are these motivations affecting your choices
with regards to your career path?
Respondent 3: What motivates me? Ahm syempre ahh women
are very compassionate, family oriented, ahh, sa panahon
ngayon kelangan mo ng pera para mabuhay.
Respondent 4: Ako, of course parang yung major
motivation ko uhm to stay in the company is of course the
family that I built within the office , parang comfort zone ba
kung baga, parang kapag naiisip mo ng lumipat sa iba,
kapag naaalala mo kung gaano na kayo ka-close ng mga
colleagues mo ganun, yung mga activities na nagagawa
nyo together, parang yun, magdadalawang isip ka and
then second is ahhm, I honestly believe na hanggang
ngayon may natututunan parin ako sa company, at may
mga matututunan pa ako so just in case wala pang other
opportunities na dumating, of course kapag meron
naman , uhm why not try or grab it diba, pero hangga't wala
pa, parang ahh yun ine-enjoy lang muna tapos, ahmm
mageexplore kung anong pwedeng aralin, I'm sure the
company has a lot in store for us para mai-share satin.
14. Do you have some advice for women that are in
their early part of their careers in particular?
Respondent 3: Ah sakin siguro, continue striving, ahh work well,
wag work hard, always ask guidance ah kay Lord and then wag
mahihiyang magtanong. Yun.
Respondent 4: My advice for women is, ah stay strong, ahh
maraming bagay or circumstances na maaaring magpababa ng
self-esteem natin, maybe yung crab mentality sa environment,
yung ahm mga issues uhm yung emotional state natin, madami
diyan, pero we have to keep ourselves same para maovercome and then treat every challenges as if ahm ano,
hammer ,it will either make you or break you.
15. Are you happy in your career right now?
Respondent 3: Of course I am, and still. Yeah kasi yung
handling ng job mo, kasi di ka naman tatagal ng four years dito
kung you're not happy dito.
Researcher: So happy ka pa?
Respondent 3: Of Course.
Researcher: Hanggang ngayon?
Respondent 3: Yeah, still.
Respondent 4: Ako, Oo naman, tulad nga ng sabi ko kanina,
comfort na kung baga so yun yung pinaka primary reason, and
then yun the environment is okay naman, yun lang.
Researcher: No regrets?
Respondent 4: No regrets.
QUESTIONNAIRE – RESPONDENT 5
BREAKING THE MADNESS OF MASCULINITY:
A Qualitative Research on How Women Will Break the
Glass Ceiling
Background Information
10. Do you think you have been able to balance your work
life and personal life?
Age: 22
⁄
YES
NO
Marital Status: Single
Education: Post-Grad/Masters in Business Administration
1. To which type of family do you belong to?
Nuclear Family
⁄
Interview Questions
Joint Family
1. Are you aware/familiar with the artificial
barrier/organizational bias that prevent women from
advancing upward?
2. Do you have dependents to take care of? None
If Yes, who are they and how are they related to you?
Yes.
3. Job Position: RO1 (Assessment)
4. Nature of Work: Audit and Review
5. How long have you been working in your current
company? 5 months
Researcher: Does it really exist? If so, can you provide an
example from your own experience?
For my own experience kase ma’am wala kase, sa bureau
namin meron naman ahm nagkaroon kame commissioner na
babae si commissioner Henares, so though it exists in other
organization but in our organization maybe balance naman siya.
6. Total number of work experience: 0
7. How many organizations have you been working for
(including previous experiences)? 1
2. Do you think there is a relationship between gender
and leadership effectiveness?
No.
8. How many promotions did you had in your career? 0
9. If given an opportunity of being promoted to a higherlevel position, are you willing to take-up the additional
responsibility?
⁄
YES
NO
Researcher: Why?
Ahm leadership effectiveness refers to, for me ahm it’s about
leadership, leadership skills so it’s not about the gender it’s your
skills.
3. Are there any differences among male and female
leaders/managers?
Hmm, yes. Different Approach.
4. What do you think are the barriers that prevent
women from being promoted to higher positions?
Although we have women commissioners, kase sa bureau we
have boys ng previous commissioners so limited lang talaga
yung number of women na naging commissioners.
Researcher: what do you think are the barriers?
8. What unique challenges do women still face in the
workplace?
Unique Challenges, siguro more on emotional, hormone, lalo na
kapag nag-undergo ng hormonal changes. Mapapansin mo
naman yun sa mga higher executives.
Researcher: So parang ang hirap makipagdeal with other
people and women?
Hindi naman sa mahirap sila makipag-deal, siguro is madali
magkaroon ng mood swing, yun yung mga unique challenges
nila.
Ano kase, siguro may mga biases parin.
5. What advantages do women have as leaders in
organizations, including your own organization?
Ahm siguro more on emphatic, so more on empathy.
6. In your opinion, why is it particularly important to
have more female representation on corporate
boards?
9. As a woman, what are the struggles you have
encountered before you have reached your
position?
For six months? parang hindi pa ako profile sa mga ganyan
struggles na na-encounter, Ahm yun kase parang, hindi ang
napansin ko naman kase nung application namin is mas
madami talagang females na nagapply, tapos yung dun sa
region female dominated, parang iisa lang yung male nung
pumunta kame doon. Ngayon nadagdagan na sila so apat na
silang male. So sa mga struggles naman is wala pa sa ngayon.
Ahm although we have a usually male dominated, of course
specially in corporate world, ahm siguro we need to add other
flavors, kumbaga other perspectives aside from siguro sinasabi
nilang kase ang sinasabi nila when it comes to male they are
more rational, yun ang bias kasi.
7. How has your organization supported you, and other
women like you to be successful?
Ahm, ang maganda kase doon sa bureau namin is pareparehas ng training so wala naman siya sa gender kung ano
yung specific na position mo lahat kayo mag-a-undergo sa mga
training na yun.
10. What are the sacrifices or what are the things you
have given up reaching the position you are in right
now?
Wow..
Researcher: Meron na po ba? Meron na po ba kayong sacrifices
na nagawa?
Ahm, syempre yung time and effort, kasi kapag magpoprovide
ka ng service ang kailangan mo talaga is time.
11. How are you able to lead or handle your employees
especially the males who are working in the
organization longer than you?
Hindi pa sa employees, pero sa mga group of activities namin.
magdodoctorate. So yung ang pinakachallenge saakin pataas,
kase parang ang sabi nila dun sa offices you’re just one of them,
CPA ka kumbaga yun lang entry point mo sa position na yun.
Kapag CPA ka lang, wala.
13. What motivates you to work harder?
Researcher: How are you able to lead or handle your
employees especially the males who are working in the
organization longer than you?
Ahm natry ko na, may mga co-worker kase ako na parang same
position pero mas matatanda sila mga lalaki. Ang ano naman
is, siguro conducting yourself in civil parang maging ano ka
lang, yung kumbaga professional conductor, so yung approach
mo sakanila in incase na may kailangan kang irely syempre
yung proper way tapos respectable.
12. Was there ever a time that you have thought of
giving up? If there was, would you mind sharing the
moment and how were you able to manage to
continue?
How are these motivations affecting your choices
with regards to your career path?
Siguro isa kung motivation parang galaw ka lang parang naoverwhelm ka na pinaghirapan ko ng ilang taon nabagsak pa
ako nung una tapos yung mga struggles ulit tapos starting point
lang pala parang ..though yung iba parang discrepant me pero
syempre ikaw gagawin mo nalang motivation mo to thrive hard
14. Do you have some advice for women that are in their
early part of their careers in particular?
Strive hard. Starting pa kasi ini-enjoy mo pa yung process,
kumbaga andami mo pa kase kailangan matutunan
May mga, syempre, hindi naman ano yung failures, hindi naman
mawawala yan.
Researcher: Meron na po ba kayong certain situation na ‘give
up na ko’?
Board Exam, though ano yung parang first take mo kasi pinakaheartbreak mas masakit pa yun sa break-up (laughs) so yun.
Researcher: Ah so, sa pangalawa?
Nung pangalawang take ko ako nakapasa.
Researcher: Pero doon sa current work niyo?
Sa work namin kase lahat dun CPA, so ang pinaka challenge
mo doon kung pano ka mag-aaral, eh yung mga iba din lahat
sila may MBA, so ang final drown mo doon is maging CPA
Lawyer. Kaya lahat sila either naglo-law pa uli or
15. Are you happy in your career right now?
Yes.