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Will she stay or will she quit: determinants of career persistence and non-persistence amongst women workers of India's IT sector

Swati Alok (Department of Economics and Finance, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, India)
Sudatta Banerjee (Department of Economics and Finance, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, India)
Navya Kumar (Department of Economics and Finance, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, India)

South Asian Journal of Business Studies

ISSN: 2398-628X

Article publication date: 21 December 2021

Issue publication date: 21 November 2023

208

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify demographic characteristics, personal attributes and attitudes and social support factors that adversely or favourably affect the likelihood of career persistence amongst women workers of the Indian IT sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The research, grounded in the social cognitive career theory, analyses primary data collected from 850 women working in IT via a survey. Based on an original definition of career persistence, the sample was segregated into 427 persistent and 423 non-persistent women. Logistic regression was performed to test for the effect of various determinants on the likelihood of women being career persistent versus non-persistent.

Findings

Being married, having children, as well as high levels of belief in gender disadvantage and work–family conflict lowered the likelihood of career persistence amongst women. While being a manager, possessing high career identity, high occupational culture fit, positive psychological capital and family support boost the likelihood.

Originality/value

The study examines women's actual continuance in an IT career vis-à-vis exit from the workforce/IT field, rather than women's stated intent to persist/quit as previously investigated. It uses logistic regression to identify both hurdles and aids on the path of women's career persistence. The findings can help recognize women more likely to struggle, thus be a first step in targeted organizational interventions to plug a leaky talent pipeline.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: The study was funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) [Award number: 02/369/2016-17/RP].

Citation

Alok, S., Banerjee, S. and Kumar, N. (2023), "Will she stay or will she quit: determinants of career persistence and non-persistence amongst women workers of India's IT sector", South Asian Journal of Business Studies, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 518-536. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAJBS-08-2020-0276

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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