The glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout: the mediating role of work–family conflict

IntroductionThis paper aims to investigate the mediating role of work–family conflict in the relationship between the perception of the glass ceiling and female teacher burnout. The glass ceiling can create significant career barriers for women, potentially increasing work–family conflict and, in tu...

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Main Authors: Yun Wei, Geetha Subramaniam, Xueshen Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1551903/full
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author Yun Wei
Geetha Subramaniam
Xueshen Wang
author_facet Yun Wei
Geetha Subramaniam
Xueshen Wang
author_sort Yun Wei
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionThis paper aims to investigate the mediating role of work–family conflict in the relationship between the perception of the glass ceiling and female teacher burnout. The glass ceiling can create significant career barriers for women, potentially increasing work–family conflict and, in turn, leading to higher levels of burnout. Exploring these dynamics can provide insights into the underlying mechanisms contributing to female teachers’ well-being and inform strategies to mitigate burnout in educational settings.MethodsThe sample population comprises 200 female teachers working in higher educational institutions in China where data has been collected via a survey questionnaire, followed by SPSS and Smart PLS to analyse and test the hypotheses.ResultsResults indicate that there is a positive relationship between the perception of glass ceiling, work–family conflict and female teacher burnout, and work–family conflict mediates the relationship between the perception of glass ceiling and female teacher burnout in higher educational institutions in China.DiscussionThese findings highlight how work–family conflict caused by the glass ceiling perception negatively impacts burnout among female faculty members in higher educational institutions, which are relevant to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 4, and 5 emphasizing women’s well-being, high-quality education, and gender equality, it offers actionable suggestions for policymakers to reduce the incidence of female teacher burnout.
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spelling doaj-art-69a67eaf058e4ea38d0c1111a7503aa52025-08-20T02:24:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-04-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15519031551903The glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout: the mediating role of work–family conflictYun WeiGeetha SubramaniamXueshen WangIntroductionThis paper aims to investigate the mediating role of work–family conflict in the relationship between the perception of the glass ceiling and female teacher burnout. The glass ceiling can create significant career barriers for women, potentially increasing work–family conflict and, in turn, leading to higher levels of burnout. Exploring these dynamics can provide insights into the underlying mechanisms contributing to female teachers’ well-being and inform strategies to mitigate burnout in educational settings.MethodsThe sample population comprises 200 female teachers working in higher educational institutions in China where data has been collected via a survey questionnaire, followed by SPSS and Smart PLS to analyse and test the hypotheses.ResultsResults indicate that there is a positive relationship between the perception of glass ceiling, work–family conflict and female teacher burnout, and work–family conflict mediates the relationship between the perception of glass ceiling and female teacher burnout in higher educational institutions in China.DiscussionThese findings highlight how work–family conflict caused by the glass ceiling perception negatively impacts burnout among female faculty members in higher educational institutions, which are relevant to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 4, and 5 emphasizing women’s well-being, high-quality education, and gender equality, it offers actionable suggestions for policymakers to reduce the incidence of female teacher burnout.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1551903/fullfemale teacher burnouthigher education institutionsJD-R theorywork–family conflictglass ceilingSDGs
spellingShingle Yun Wei
Geetha Subramaniam
Xueshen Wang
The glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout: the mediating role of work–family conflict
Frontiers in Psychology
female teacher burnout
higher education institutions
JD-R theory
work–family conflict
glass ceiling
SDGs
title The glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout: the mediating role of work–family conflict
title_full The glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout: the mediating role of work–family conflict
title_fullStr The glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout: the mediating role of work–family conflict
title_full_unstemmed The glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout: the mediating role of work–family conflict
title_short The glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout: the mediating role of work–family conflict
title_sort glass ceiling perception and female teacher burnout the mediating role of work family conflict
topic female teacher burnout
higher education institutions
JD-R theory
work–family conflict
glass ceiling
SDGs
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1551903/full
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