Glass ceiling refers to invisible barriers that restrict women to advance in the career. This research aims to identify the perception of employees towards glass ceiling in Bahrain higher education sector. The research questions are related to: perception of employees on glass ceiling; factors or challenges leading to glass ceiling, whether glass ceiling exists in Bahrain higher education institutions and how to break the glass ceiling barriers. Focus group interview was conducted with ten faculty members from five different universities in Bahrain and content analysis was done to analyze the interview transcripts. The qualitative analysis shows that traditional gender roles, organizational culture and policies, network barriers, male dominance, unconscious bias, lack of self-confidence and mentoring lead to glass ceiling. The consequences of glass ceiling includes lower performance and turnover; lower morale and commitment, depression and health issues affecting organizational effectiveness. The universities in Bahrain promote gender equality and there are women in leadership positions. However, there exists bias to some extent for minority groups in terms of nationality and background. In order to overcome the challenges the universities must implement gender diversity and equality policy, provide inclusive work environment, training and mentorship programs and networking opportunities.