From the glass ceiling to the sticky floor: a historical analysis of organisational barriers to women’s careers

Purpose – Throughout their careers, women face numerous inequalities along the path from the sticky floor to the glass ceiling. This study aims to examine historically how the macro-level dynamics (social, political and economic) that cause these inequalities are embedded in and reproduced through managerial practices within organisations. This research questions gender-based inequalities and power relations within the organisational context by examining the macro dynamics that influence each other. Design/methodology/approach – Between 1929 and 2025, 455 news articles were obtained from a national newspaper regarding the obstacles women encounter in their career (from the sticky floor to the glass ceiling). Using the Gioia methodology, the study analysed the barriers women face in their careers by grouping similar themes and interpreting them through the lenses of social role theory (SRT) and feminist political economy (FPE). Findings – The findings show that the obstacles women have faced in their careers for almost a century have been reinforced by macro dynamics. Although policies have been developed in every period to prevent discrimination, most of these remain symbolic and are not implemented. Consequently, both the sticky floor and glass ceiling mechanisms have been reproduced throughout historical periods. Originality/value – An original contribution is made by drawing attention to the sticky floor and glass ceiling issues women encounter in their careers using archival data. By combining SRT with FPE, a novel theoretical integration is offered that explains, in a historically grounded manner, how gender inequalities in organisations are reproduced, normalised and legitimised over time.