Systemic Barriers and Challenges Impeding Women's Financial Independence, Empowerment, and Career Growth

Abstract

The contribution of women has been significant and incremental for decades. Despite enormous efforts of feminists on women's emancipation in the 21st century, women are nevertheless victims of the patriarchal society. Since eras, women in all cultures and societies globally subjected to wide-ranging societal pressure, constraining their role in society, and in their household - limited to bearing and rearing children, household chores, and family maintenance. With education, few women started earning and contributing financially to the household income. Their role in the work spheres have long been limited to low level jobs and career advancement to senior leadership positions have been slow and they are globally under-represented. Empowerment of women occurs through their financial independence and wellbeing. The chapter will be guided by the theories of planned behaviour, self-determination theory and the self-efficacy theory to assess the systemic barriers to women's career progress and propose some valuable recommendations.