Career success factors of women in the public sector: An empirical analysis of the Korean central government

The present study examines why some women are more successful in their careers than others. Although considerable research has been conducted on determining factors in women’s career success in the private sector, those factors in the public sector remain under-researched. Two main goals of this study are (1) to investigate the factors affecting the career success of women in the public sector and (2) to assess the relative importance of personal factors and situational factors for women’s career success. This study empirically tests a comprehensive model of career success that includes both objective and subjective elements using a survey of female public officials in the Korean central government. The results reveal that personal factors are associated more with women’s objective career success than situational factors, and situational factors are related more to the subjective career success than personal factors.