THE EFFECTS OF WORK-LIFE CONFLICT, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, MENTORING, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON FEMALE CAREER ADVANCEMENT

Abstract

 The 2021 Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance highlights a recommended corporate governance practice for publicly listed companies, which entails having a minimum of 30% women directors on their board. However, the present scenario indicates an insufficiency in women's representation in senior management roles, even though women outnumber male graduates from educational institutions. This study aims to investigate the factors that impact the career progression of female employees, specifically work-life conflict, organizational commitment, mentoring support, and organizational culture. A total of 106 UiTM alumni responded to our online survey, which was randomly distributed. Using an OLS regression model, we discovered that all factors, except work-life conflict, affect female career advancement. Organizational commitment emerges as the most influential factor shaping female career development, while a negative organizational culture significantly hampers the progress of women in their careers. Our results can offer insight to universities, employers, and policymakers on the factors that hinder women from reaching leadership positions. Our findings suggest that universities may want to develop suitable training or curriculum to enhance the soft skills of female students, and organizations need to improve their policies and implement improved mechanisms that encourage women's active participation in organizations.