Abstract:

The main goal of this qualitative research was to better understand the challenges faced by women in leadership positions in a specific economic branch - energy and mining. The energy sector is a particularly gender-insensitive sector due to the very nature of the work, but the situation in Serbia is such that the majority of leadership positions, including the Ministry of Energy, are predominantly women.

The research was conducted in TSO Elektromreza Srbije during 2021 with a sample of women in high managerial positions in the company.

The results of the research showed that the main challenges faced by women in leadership positions are precisely the role of women in our society, the high price they paid to build and maintain a career, a challenging path to the top, an unsupportive environment and symptoms of burnout that occur in the respondents.
The obtained results can be interpreted in accordance with the available literature on the dual roles of women in today's society and the challenging path to leadership positions, which are still reserved for men in this climate.

Women and men are socialized and guided differently from birth. The traditional way of upbringing determined the position of women, which implies that they cannot and should not compete with men. Stereotypes about women make it difficult for them to advance to the highest positions. Taking into account the above, one can understand the results obtained by the research that women state completely different characteristics that are socially acceptable and that they perceive as important for success in the position.

The results obtained from this research can represent a basis for initiating further research with a focus on the role of women in managerial positions and the challenges that women face in this, specifically male, branch of the economy - energy and mining.

Diversity has been a dominant theme in recent years, but it often remains only in theory, while in practice we still have big problems when it comes to women's advancement and leadership. The glass ceiling is remarkably still present

Keywords:

Woman leaders, diversity issues, glass ceiling.