Abstract
This study revisits the Kaleidoscope Career Model (KCM) two decades after its inception to examine its relevance in a collectivist, non-Western context. Addressing the gap in career theory dominated by Western assumptions, it explores how Indian white-collar women navigate structural barriers and shifting priorities. Drawing on survey data from over 400 participants segmented by career status, motherhood, work experience, and age, the study investigates how authenticity, balance, and challenge evolve across life phases.
Findings reveal that career stage, rather than motherhood or age, is the pivotal axis of motivational recalibration. Women on career breaks prioritise balance; repeated breaks reinforce authenticity, and mid-career women emphasise challenge. Age cohorts show stability, underscoring the salience of career stage over demographic markers.
Theoretically, the study extends KCM by integrating insights from the life course perspective, Super’s life span–life space theory, and work–family border theory while challenging social role theory's assumption that caregiving reshapes ambition. In practice, it highlights the need for stage-responsive organisational policies, including flexible work arrangements, reintegration pathways, mentoring programs, and leadership development pipelines that normalise nonlinear career paths and reduce bias around breaks. Collectively, the research refines KCM’s applicability, offering a culturally attuned lens on women’s evolving career motivations in South Asia.