The following research study has been designed in order to investigate an important
issue “The Glass Ceiling effect” which still prevails in many organizations in Sri
Lanka. The banking sector which is a very vibrant industry in Sri Lanka has been
selected to conduct the analysis. The core objective of this study is to identify the
barriers which prevail and have an impact on women participation in senior
management positions in licensed commercial banks in relationship with
organizational performance.
The research has conducted by taking in to account 9 domestic licensed commercial
banks in Sri Lanka. Thus both secondary as well as a primary research has conducted
in order to critically analyze the “Glass Ceiling Effect” in banking sector in Sri
Lanka. Secondary data analyzing has addressed two objectives to identify the
challenges in acquiring skills and challenges in women participation in upper
management. The research findings showed that there are 9% of females in director
board, 16% females in corporate management and 13% females as the management
team. In overall perspective the research highlighted that there are 13% of female
participants in the managerial positions in banks. According to the primary research
which was conducted, the level of women participation was identified in-terms of
organizational performance. Thus questionnaire findings showed a moderate level of
perception about women participation in the banking sector. Finally a series of
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quality solutions were recommended in order to eliminate the “Glass Ceiling Effects”
in the banking industry