Career development of female managers in retailing: Inhibitors and enablers

In the retail industry “women are highly visible” as employees and customers, but managers are predominantly male [Traves et al., 1997. Service Industries Journal, 17(1), 133-154]. To shed light on this anomaly, this article investigates inhibitors to and enablers of the career development of female managers in retailing in theoretical and empirical terms. The primary work comprises interviews and focus groups in three case companies, exploring career development experiences and practices. The evidence discussed supports the contention that active enabling factors, such as organisational values supporting gender equity and people-centred management styles, are pre-prerequisites for females' career progression.