Female leadership: perceptions, reflections, and challenges in public administration

Abstract Discrimination against women in strategic positions is a recurring issue in the labor market, particularly in Brazil. Even though women generally have higher qualifications than men, this is not reflected in their salaries or positions. The causes of such limitations have historical, social, and psychological roots. This article aims to understand better the challenges faced by women in the public administration of the Brazilian executive branch. The study is based on the barriers to reaching leadership positions, such as “Glass Ceiling,” “Leadership Labyrinths,” and “Queen Bee,” commonly described in the international and national literature on the theme. The study is organized in two stages. In the first, a qualitative approach was adopted, involving semi-structured and in-depth interviews with leaders - Under Secretaries - working in the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The second stage adopted a quantitative approach, with a questionnaire applied to female managers working at the State Secretariat of Finance and Planning of Rio de Janeiro. As a result, it appears that women still suffer from prejudices and barriers associated with male codes of professional advancement. However, most women indicate no direct prejudice, claiming that they have grown and reached strategic positions on their own merits.摘要：劳动力市场中，处于战略岗位的女性遭受歧视是一个反复出现的问题，在巴西尤为突出。尽管女性整体资质普遍高于男性，但这一优势并未体现在其薪资与岗位层级上。此类职业发展限制的成因根植于历史、社会与心理层面。本研究旨在深入探析巴西行政部门公共管理领域女性所面临的职业困境。本研究以该主题国际与国内文献中常见的领导力岗位晋升障碍为分析框架，包括"玻璃天花板（Glass Ceiling）"、"领导迷宫（Leadership Labyrinths）"与"蜂王效应（Queen Bee）"。本研究分为两个阶段开展：第一阶段采用质性研究方法，对里约热内卢州政府中的副秘书长层级领导开展半结构化深度访谈；第二阶段采用量化研究方法，向里约热内卢州财政与规划秘书处的女性管理人员发放问卷开展调研。研究结果显示，女性仍需面对与男性主导的职业晋升规则相关的偏见与障碍；但多数女性表示并未感受到直接歧视，认为自身是凭借实力成长并获得战略岗位的。