AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE WITH CAREER INTERRUPTIONS

Abstract

The workplace has traditionally been seen as a domain that favours men over women, with women being subjected to various forms of discrimination, harassment, and bias. While there have been efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace, women continue to face significant challenges, especially when they take a career break (Panteli, 2013). The issue of women's career interruptions has been the subject of much research in recent years (Navarro-Astor, 2017). Many studies have highlighted the negative impact that career breaks can have on women's career progression and earnings potential. However, despite the growing recognition of the issue of women's career interruptions, there is still a lack of understanding about the experiences of women who take a break and return to work in Pakistan. Moreover, most research in this field focuses on model-based approaches which often overlook the inherent biases in society and the individual experiences of societal actors. Therefore, this research intends to serve as a qualitative study, by drawing on the constructivist ontological approach and investigating the experiences of 23 participants. By doing so, this research aims to explore the challenges and struggles that women face when they return to work after a career break, as well as the attitudes and perceptions of employers and colleagues towards women with career interruptions in context of Pakistan. Furthermore, this paper highlights important solutions that organizations can adopt in order to simplify the process of reintegrating women into the workforce after a career break.