Abstract

The decline in female labor market participation since 2019 has heightened global concerns about gender parity. This empirical study seeks to understand women's perceptions of career success based on their specific sociodemographic characteristics regarding two employment barriers: the sticky floor (SF) and the glass ceiling (GC), identifying from a quantitative perspective the necessary conditions for the emergence of these barriers in Chile. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory, we propose a nomological network with four propositions linking sociodemographic factors, SF, GC, and perceived career success. Using a mixed-methods approach, we combined documentary content analysis (DCA) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) to collect data through a survey of female business professionals. The main findings are the possibility of using DCA in qualitative data to identify the research work carried out in business areas and reveals the lack of literature studies on women's perceptions of SF and GC as well as the underutilisation of NCA in gender studies. The data showed that with the use of the NCA the characteristic of Indigenous identity may be a necessary condition to perceive GC in La Araucanía, Chile. The possibility of identifying information of perceptions through both methods gives us critical primary information about predictive factors. These specific perceptions yielded by the use of the NCA contribute to the exploration of understanding gender dynamics and helping to develop strategies to address structural barriers to women's career advancement. We conclude by recommending avenues for future research with practical implications for the development of public policies to improve women's career success.