Abstract
BACKGROUND: The glass ceiling, a metaphorical barrier hindering women's career advancement, is prevalent across various sectors, including healthcare. Women have proved their competence as successful senior-level leaders. Despite this, there is still a striking under-representation of female prosthetists and orthotists in leadership positions as managers and business owners. This study investigated the "glass ceiling𠇜 phenomenon in the prosthetics and orthotics (P&O) field, where women, despite growing representation in the profession, are underrepresented in leadership roles. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the beliefs and expectations of female prosthetists and orthotists regarding career advancement and leadership opportunities. METHODOLOGY: This survey study had two sections; the first section was general demographic questions, and any gender could participate but the second section was the Career Pathways Survey (CPS), which assessed beliefs about the glass ceiling and only female practitioners could participate. The survey evaluated four factors: Denial, Resilience, Acceptance, and Resignation, to understand how women perceive their ability to break through the glass ceiling. All individuals with a professional qualification in prosthetics and/or orthotics were eligible to participate. The survey was distributed worldwide through the ISPO and other professional associations. The survey was opened in April 2021 and remained active for six months. FINDINGS: 110 female participants completed the survey. The participants were mainly from North America, Europe and Australia. Findings revealed that factors like age, marital status, and salary were significant predictors of different belief scores, particularly with respect to career acceptance and denial. Results highlighted that women's beliefs about their career advancement were influenced by their personal life situations, such as having children, and the number of years of professional experience. CONCLUSION: The study calls for organizational reforms to address gender inequalities by implementing policies that support work-life balance, mentoring, and career development. It also emphasizes the importance of further research, particularly examining the intersectionality of gender, race, and other diversity factors, to provide a comprehensive understanding of barriers to leadership in P&O and other healthcare fields.