Barriers to the career progression of women in banking sector in Albania. Do perceptions differ?

International statistics and studies emphasise the gender imbalance in high managerial levels. According to the literature review the undereppresentation of women in high levels is related to the “Glass Ceiling” phenomenon. These are barriers that hinder the career progression of women. According to the Gender Organization Structure model, these barriers are divided into three categories: Individual, Social and Organizational. The purpose of this study is to find out how do perceptions about these barriers vary according to five demographic variables (age, marital status, education, managerial position and experience) of women at managerial levels in commercial banks in Albania. The Kruskal-Wallis test is used to test the differences in perception of barriers. The results of the study show that: women’s perceptions about individual barriers vary according only to the managerial level; women’s perceptions about social barriers vary only according to age and maritual status; women’s perceptions about organizational barriers vary only to marital status.