Female leadership: Facilitators, barriers and the road to inclusion

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19136/hitos.a31n90.6363

Keywords:

female leadership, organizational inclusion, women.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify the key factors that facilitate female leadership and the barriers that limit their full integration into the management environment, as well as to assess their impact on organizational inclusion.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: A systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing 39 articles published between 2023 and 2024. Databases such as Web of Science, Emerald and Elsevier were used, applying specific inclusion criteria to ensure the relevance and timeliness of the sources. Data analysis was carried out using ATLAS.ti software, which facilitated the coding and categorization of the findings.

RESULTS: Female leadership was found to be characterized by qualities that bring significant value in the business environment, such as a strong sense of ethics, adaptability, and a focus on collaboration. In addition, cultural, organizational, and structural barriers were identified that limit the advancement of women into leadership positions.

CONCLUSIONS: Female leadership not only enriches decision making but also promotes a collaborative and inclusive work environment. It is crucial to implement policies that foster inclusion and overcome existing barriers.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Roberto Reyes Cornelio, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco

    Licenciado en Relaciones Comerciales. Maestro en Administración con Especialidad en Comercialización Estratégica. Doctor en Dirección y Mercadotecnia.

  • Jessica Esther Cruz Velazco, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco

    Doctora en Estudios Económico Administrativos. 

  • Norma Aguilar Morales, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco

    Doctora en Gestión Estratégica y Políticas de Desarrollo. 

References

Abousoliman, A. D. y Mahmoud, H. H. (2024). Effect of authentic leadership on Nurses’ psychological distress and turnover intention. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2024.100722

Akinwale, O. E., Akinwale, O. E. y Kuye, O. L. (2024). Gender, religion and politics: a qualitative analysis on the role of women to a sustainable quality of work-life (QWL). IIMT Journal of Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/iimtjm-12-2023-0076

Almalki, O. S., Fathelrahman, A. I., Alfayez, O. M. y Bawazeer, G. A. (2024). Current situation and barriers to women’s leadership in health care education in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 32(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2024.102000

Amsalu, A. y Belay, S. (2024). Women’s effectiveness in school leadership: The case of Awi Nationality administrative zone primary schools, Ethiopia. Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101094

Arena, C., Catuogno, S. y Naciti, V. (2023). Governing FinTech for performance: the monitoring role of female independent directors. European Journal of Innovation Management, 26(7), 591-610. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-11-2022-0621

Areneke, G., Adegbite, E., Tunyi, A. y Hussain, T. (2023). Female directorship and ethical corporate governance disclosure practices in highly patriarchal contexts. Journal of Business Research, 164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114028

Asmamaw, A. T. y Semela, T. (2023). Are African academic women more emotionally intelligent than men? Exploring emotional intelligence, gender, and leadership in higher education. Heliyon, 9(12). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22949

Azizuddin, M. y Shamsuzzoha, A. (2024). Women leadership development in local governance in South and Southeast Asia: a critical analysis. Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 24(1), 40-52. https://doi.org/10.1108/seamj-06-2023-0052

Bartlett, M. E. (2024). Women leaders’ lived experiences of bravery in leadership. Qualitative Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-11-2023-0174

Berkery, E. y Ryan, N. F. (2024). Think manager – Think male or female: exploring the content of gendered stereotypes of the managerial role among undergraduate business students in Ireland over a 10-year period. Gender in Management, 39(3), 328-344. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-03-2023-0099

Cunha, M. J. y Lúcio Martins, R. (2023). Female journalists who have reached the top: perceptions on communication, leadership, and gender bias in the Portuguese press. Corporate Communications, 28(7), 84-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-01-2023-0004

Enciso-Alfaro, S. Y. y García-Sánchez, I. M. (2024). Are innovative firms more circular when women hold upper positions? Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100556

García-Sánchez, I. M., Aibar-Guzmán, C., Núñez-Torrado, M. y Aibar-Guzmán, B. (2023). Women leaders and female same-sex groups: The same 2030 Agenda objectives along different roads. Journal of Business Research, 157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113582

Halrynjo, S. y Teigen, M. (2024). Gender quotas for corporate boards: do they lead to more women in senior executive management? Gender in Management, 39(6), 761-777. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-03-2023-0096

Hegde, S. (2023). Much ahead of her times: Annie Besant’s life and journalism as a framework for sustainable women empowerment model. Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, 5(5), 483-493. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhass-04-2023-0039

Hossny, E. K., Alotaibi, H. S., Mahmoud, A. M., Elcokany, N. M., Seweid, M. M., Aldhafeeri, N. A., Abdelkader, A. M. y Abd Elhamed, S. M. (2023). Influence of nurses’ perception of organizational climate and toxic leadership behaviors on intent to stay: A descriptive comparative study. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnsa.2023.100147

Howard, L. (2024). Authenticity and woman’s leadership: a qualitative study of professional business services in the UK. Journal of Work-Applied Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWAM-09-2023-0092

Hurmekoski, M., Häggman-Laitila, A., Lammintakanen, J. y Terkamo-Moisio, A. (2023). Nurse leaders’ experiences of remote leadership in health care. Leadership in Health Services, 36(4), 579-594. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-01-2023-0003

Kostiuk, V., Thaxton, C., Loh, S. A., Cardella, J. A., Dardik, A. y Tonnessen, B. H. (2024). Representation of female vascular surgeons in national clinical trial leadership: analysis of trends over 20 years. JVS-Vascular Insights, 2, 100077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvsvi.2024.100077

Le Ber, M. J., Gardiner, R. A. y Howe-Walsh, L. (2023). Guest editorial: From intent to action: new directions in women and leadership research. In Gender in Management (Vol. 38, Issue 7, pp. 841-854). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-10-2023-403

Ludvig, A., Öllerer, B. y Aubram, T. (2024). Connecting gender balance, crisis resistance and innovativeness in the forestry sector: Women in leadership and management. Environmental Science & Policy, 161, 103890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103890

Massouti, A., Shaya, N. y Qareiny, S. M. A. (2024). Exploring the nexus between female school leaders’ perceptions of distributed instructional leadership, socio-cultural dynamics, and student achievement in the Arab world. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2024.100372

Murthy, S., Silva Correia, I. F. y Messina, R. (2024). Women in leadership positions in Italian neurosurgery. In Brain and Spine (Vol. 4). Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bas.2024.102752

Nhongo, D., Holt, A., Bail, K. y Flenady, T. (2024). Registered nurses’ confidence related to undertaking a leadership role in residential aged care: A clinical leadership self-assessment survey. Collegian, 31(4), 202-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2024.04.004

Nickel, V., Leifeld, L. y Zehrer, A. (2023). Austria – Stanglwirt and Its Approach Towards Female Leadership and Role Models. In Attaining the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality (pp. 57-71). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-832-420231005

Perkins, R. (2023). Australia: Australian Winery Ballandean Estate Wines Champion Women in Business and Leadership. In Attaining the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality (pp. 37-56). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-832-420231004

Ramseook-Munhurrun, P., Naidoo, P. y Armoogum, S. (2023). Navigating the challenges of female leadership in the information and communication technology and engineering sectors. Journal of Business and Socio-Economic Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/jbsed-03-2023-0014

Ratu, D. M. y Rahajeng, D. K. (2024). Anti-corruption policy and earnings management: do women in monitoring roles matter? Asian Journal of Accounting Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJAR-09-2023-0327

Roca, D., Suárez, A. y Meléndez-Rodríguez, S. (2024). Female creative managers as drivers for gender diversity in advertising creative departments: a critical mass approach. Gender in Management, 39(4), 465-479. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-09-2022-0291

Round, H., Yamao, S., Shao, B., Klonek, F., Sekiguchi, T. y Newman, A. (2024). Fostering psychological capital self-efficacy in emerging female leaders: Practical insights from an international leadership development program. Organizational Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2024.101085

Sabarwal, S., Lamb, J., Bhan, S., Bruce, K., Plotkin, G., Robinson, C., Obudho, N. y Batson, A. (2023). Comparing barriers and enablers of women’s health leadership in India with East Africa and North America. www.thelancet.com

Sarwar, U., Tariq, R., Aamir, M. y Guan, Y. (2023). Comparative Analysis of Female Leadership Styles in Public and Private Sector Universities: A Study in Pakistan. Heliyon, 9(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22058

Schreiber, B. y Zinn, D. (2023). Advancing gender equality in higher education in South Africa: Emboldening women leaders in complex contexts. In Inclusive Leadership: Equity and Belonging in Our Communities (pp. 65-73). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2058-880120230000009006

Surangi, M., Silva, D., Baduge, P., Garth, B., Boyd, L., Ward, K., Joseph, K., Proimos, J. y Teede, H. J. (2023). Barriers to advancing women nurses in healthcare leadership: a systematic review and meta-synthesis. www.thelancet.com

Tan, S. J. (2024). Leadership pathways for women’s leadership development: a multifaceted undergraduate leadership development initiative. Journal of Leadership Education, 23(1), 20–35. https://doi.org/10.1108/jole-01-2024-0014

Tanguilig, G., Meyers, J., Ierulli, V. K., Hiemstra, L. y Mulcahey, M. K. (2024). Women in leadership in orthopaedic sports medicine societies throughout the world. In Journal of ISAKOS (Vol. 9, Issue 3, pp. 438-443). International Society of Arthroscopy Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jisako.2024.02.009

Van Dongen, L., Suidman, L., Henriques, M. A., Jónsdóttir, H., Leino-Kilpi, H., Luderer, C., Suhonen, R. y Hafsteinsdóttir, T. B. (2024). Improved professional competencies and leadership in PhD-prepared nurses and doctoral students after participating in the cross-national and web-based Nurse-Lead program. Nursing Outlook, 72(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102144

Weiss, M., Dogan, R., Jeltema, H. R., Majernik, G. H., Venturini, S., Ryang, Y. M., Darie, L., Engel, D., Ferreira, A., Ilic, T., Lawson McLean, A. C., Malli, A., Mielke, D., Vanchaze, K. y Hernández-Durán, S. (2023). Women in leadership positions in European neurosurgery - Have we broken the glass ceiling? Brain and Spine, 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bas.2023.101777

Xie, J., Piao, X. y Managi, S. (2024). The role of female managers in enhancing employee well-being: a path through workplace resources. Gender in Management: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-09-2023-0307

Yahya, H. (2023). Female leadership and ESG performance of firms: Nordic evidence. Corporate Governance (Bingley). https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-03-2023-0129

Downloads

Published

2025-05-22

How to Cite

Reyes Cornelio, R., Cruz Velazco, J. E., & Aguilar Morales, N. (2025). Female leadership: Facilitators, barriers and the road to inclusion. HITOS DE CIENCIAS ECONÓMICO ADMINISTRATIVAS, 31(90), 159-176. https://doi.org/10.19136/hitos.a31n90.6363