Exploring the interplay between gender, organizational context and career: A Sri Lankan perspective

Purpose – This paper aims to explore how highly skilled women workers in Sri Lanka navigate organizational contexts via different modes of engagement in pursuit of hierarchical advancement. The purpose is to contribute new insights into existing understandings of women's careers in diverse socio-cultural contexts. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on one-to-one in-depth interviews conducted with 24 Sri Lankan women in early, mid and late career. Findings – The findings reveal how the women in this sample actively used eight modes of engagement to manage themselves in organizations and vertically advance in their careers. The implications of these modes for organizational contexts and women's careers are highlighted. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the limited literature on women's careers in South Asia and develops existing understandings of modes of engagement individuals use to develop their careers.