Glass Ceiling, the Prime Driver of Women Entrepreneurship in Malaysia: A Phenomenological Study of Women Lawyers

The aim of this paper to present some findings on the construct of glass ceiling in organizations and its role in driving women professionals in Malaysia to venture into business as entrepreneurs. The researcher used the qualitative method known as ‘phenomenology” to explore the phenomenon of glass ceiling. The concept was said to be created by Western academics in the 1970s to describe a situation where women professionals found barriers in progressing in the organizational hierarchy in generally all types of organizations whether firms or governmental organizations. For many women professionals especially in the West, the lack of promotional opportunities in the corporate world had driven them to involve in businesses. This paper wanted to determine whether this situation had driven women professionals in Malaysia to venture into business. The samples were women professionals in the legal firms. Interviews were conducted with 20 women professionals. It was found that 6 professionals had set up their own legal firms while 14 had set up their business firms not connected to the legal business. In terms of performance, their firms were observed to be doing well exceeding the three-year gestation period. Generally bankers believe that if a start-up firm can survive the first three years of its establishment, then it is on its way to become successful in whatever business it is in. The average length of the businesses that the Malaysian women professionals were involved in was five years. This is an indication that the said women professionals had successfully transformed themselves into entrepreneurs. It can be said that the glass ceiling phenomenon has a positive effect in this regard as it had spurred the creation of women entrepreneurs among the legal professionals.