A survey of Irish female professionals shows that four out of five women surveyed believes the glass ceiling still exists in the workplace.
The survey by female business group Network Ireland also found that one in four women did not go for a promotion due to family commitments.
While more than a third of respondents believe that being female has impacted negatively on their career progression, half said being female has made no difference to their career progression.
It also revealed that more than a third of women professionals has never asked for a pay increase, while a third said they ask for one when they feel they deserve one.
Meanwhile, just 5% of respondents have applied to join a board, while one in four said they would like to join a board but just did not know where to start.
And women who own their own business cited "family commitments" as the second highest reason after costs for not expanding their business.
The President of Network Ireland, Helen Wycherley, said that although there are many women who feel being female has not held them back in the workplace, unfortunately there are others for whom it has been an issue.
"The survey found that a third of respondents believe women need to step up more and they said that women need more mentoring and confidence in order to do this," Ms Wycherley said.
Network Ireland will host an event at Thomond Park in Limerick on March 8 to celebrate International Women's Day.
The event will focus on the importance of building resilience.
Women from all around Ireland are expected to attend the conference and will include entrepreneurs, SME owners, professionals and leaders in indigenous and multinational organisations to non-profits, charities, arts and the public sector.
