This paper investigates the position of women in management positions within state - owned enterprises in the territory of the Republic of Croatia. Analyzing the available literature, it can be seen that women in leading positions within organizations at the global level are relatively underrepresented. The reason for this underrepresentation lies in the fact that women are faced with various prejudices and stereotypes at work, and women bear the entire burden of balancing the private and business spheres. Motherhood also leaves a mark and burden on women’s careers. Through the work, we tried to explore the obstacles and challenges that women face in the development of their careers. The results of empirical research on a sample of 6 respondents who are members of the board / supervisory board show that women face many career obstacles that primarily relate to the phenomenon of the glass ceiling, numerous prejudices and stereotypes by male colleagues and difficult balance of private and business sphere. The key conclusion of the conducted research is that women are strong and resilient to all the challenges they face. However, it is not always easy for women to play all the assigned and imposed roles. Women simply have more weights on the business journey than their male counterparts. The support of the system, society, partners and the environment is necessary for the successful functioning of women in private and business. The results of this and other research go in the direction of optimizing the number of both genders in high positions, because with adequate numbers and taking advantage of both genders in work, companies can expect to maximize business performance.