Outnumbered Azerbaijani Women in Managerial Jobs: Secondary Data and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to examine the existing position of Azerbaijani women regarding managerial jobs in the spheres of education and public sector, as well as individual experiences and perspectives of a group of Azerbaijani women related to this. Drawing upon secondary data analysis and interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), the research seeks to explore how Azerbaijani women are positioned statistically with regards to managerial jobs in the spheres of education and public sector, how a group of Azerbaijani women in the fields of education and public sector reflect on their individual case and relevant trends in the country; to what extent they relate their situation to external influences such as access to quality education, organizational stereotypes and discrimination, family restrictions and women’s internal inclinations sourcing from cultural predisposition. Based on the study results, this paper argues that women's existing internal limitations due to cultural norms and expectations do not seem to allow research participants to see or set career as one of their primary striving and advancing points in life. Accordingly, it significantly leads to the underrepresentation of women in managerial jobs in education and the public sector.