Beyond Labels and Barriers: Women’s Ongoing Journey in the Auditing Profession

This paper aims to synthesize the primary metaphorical barriers representing the difficulties women face in advancing their careers over time: glass ceiling, glass cliff, labyrinth, leaky pipeline and queen bee. It also seeks to assess the validity of these metaphors in relation to actual realities. The methodology involves analyzing, synthesizing, and compiling various articles and studies on the topic. This analysis revealed that over time, these barriers evolve, adapting to the present yet continuing to exist. Some barriers are more pertinent than others, as evidenced by critiques of the justifications for their definitions. This paper underscores the need for actions to combat gender inequality, specially within the auditing profession, not only within organizations but also at the societal level.