Navigating Career Barriers and Facilitators: The Role of Paradox Mindset in the Occupational Well-Being of Women Managers

There has been a notable increase in women’s participation in Indian organizations, particularly within the information technology (IT) sector. However, researchers have pointed out that women predominantly occupy lower-level positions. Existing literature underscores the nonlinear career trajectories of women, characterized by stringent barriers and fewer enablers. This has been found to compromise their well-being. The impact of perceived barriers and facilitators on workplace well-being has not been explored enough in an Indian context. Additionally, there is a dearth of research on the conditions shaping the influence of perceived career barriers and facilitators on occupational well-being. This article proposes that paradox mindset, i.e., the ability to hold conflicting thoughts and beliefs simultaneously, may alleviate these challenges. Thus, the objective of this study is twofold: Firstly, to assess the impact of perceived career barriers (PCB) and perceived career facilitators (PCF) on occupational well-being (OWB), and secondly, to investigate paradox mindset (PM) as a moderator in the aforementioned relationships. The data was collected from 151 mid-level women managers employed in the Indian IT sector. Analyzed through the Hayes PROCESS macro, results demonstrated that the negative relationship between PCB and OWB was significantly moderated by PM (β = 0.0058), with a weaker relationship for managers with higher PM. The positive relationship between PCF and OWB was significantly moderated by PM, with the relationship being stronger for managers with higher PM (β = 0.0172). This study provides new insights into how women managers can utilize a paradox mindset to enhance their well-being. Most importantly, adopting a paradox mindset is a protective factor for female managers, making them less vulnerable to the detrimental effects of career barriers on their well-being.