A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Women In Executive Service

Studies conducted by organizations such as Catalyst, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics continue to show that women are making strides in the workplace, but are also underrepresented in top-level management positions. Women constitute 47% of the workforce, but only 12% are in upper executive ranks (Evans, 2003). This phenomenological study shows how women who have reached senior-executive-level management within the Federal government obtained and sustained their positions and the obstacles they had to endure to get into these top leadership positions. The study is intended to help women who aspire to advance into senior-executive-level positions within the Federal government by providing a roadmap for them to take and steps to avoid. Research regarding women’s roles in the senior executive level of the Federal government has not been plentiful. Further study in this area is needed to provide guidance to women who are in the workplace and have the potential to assume more responsibility.