Gender and Leadership: Advancing Equity and Empowerment in Executive Roles

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks to advance scholarly understanding of how gender shapes leadership in executive roles, with particular emphasis on equity, empowerment and organizational outcomes. Although gender diversity initiatives have expanded over the recent decades, women remain substantially underrepresented in senior leadership across corporate, public and non-profit organizations (Eagly & Carli, 2007; Ibarra, Ely, & Kolb, 2013). When women do reach executive positions, they frequently face structural constraints, intensified performance scrutiny and gendered expectations that influence both their leadership experiences and their perceived effectiveness (Kanter, 1977; Ridgeway, 2011). Foundational frameworks such as the social role theory and role congruity theory explain these dynamics by pointing to the perceived mismatch between culturally ascribed communal traits associated with women and the agentic traits stereotypically linked to leadership (Eagly, 1987; Eagly & Karau, 2002). As a result, persistent stereotypes continue to shape hiring, promotion and evaluation processes, often disadvantaging women and reinforcing the long-standing “Think Manager—Think Male” bias documented across cultures (Schein, 1973). Empirical research further demonstrates that identical leadership behaviors are more negatively evaluated when performed by women, particularly in contexts that emphasize authority and toughness (Eagly & Carli, 2007).

At the same time, contemporary leadership scholarship indicates a normative shift in what is valued in effective leadership. Rather than prioritizing control, dominance and individual heroism, newer models emphasize relational, collaborative and inclusive leadership processes. Transformational and participative leadership approaches—on which women tend to score higher, on average—stress vision articulation, follower development, trust-building and psychological safety and have been consistently linked to improved performance, innovation and employee well-being (Eagly & Carli, 2007). Complementing this perspective, research on psychological safety shows that leaders who promote openness, learning from mistakes, and employee voice enhance team adaptability and innovation (Edmondson, 2019). Together, these developments suggest that attributes historically labeled as “feminine,” including empathy, collaboration and care, are not peripheral but increasingly central to effective leadership in complex organizations.

Despite these evolving leadership ideals, women continue to encounter deeply embedded structural and cultural barriers that restrict their access to and sustainability in top leadership roles. The enduring metaphor of the “glass ceiling” captures the invisible yet powerful obstacles that limit women’s upward mobility, while the “glass cliff” highlights their disproportionate appointment to leadership positions in high-risk or crisis-laden contexts (Ryan & Haslam, 2005; Tiscini et al., 2023; Magnanelli & Raoli, 2025). These persistent patterns underscore the gap between shifting leadership norms and organizational realities, reinforcing the need for further theoretical and empirical inquiry into how gendered power structures, institutional practices and cultural expectations shape executive leadership opportunities and outcomes.

(1) Focus, Scope, and Purpose of the Special Issue

The Special Issue centers on the dynamics of gender and leadership in executive and senior decision-making roles. It seeks to explore how gender shapes leadership trajectories, authority, strategic influence, governance and organizational change, as well as organizational structures and cultures, enable or constrain women’s leadership effectiveness (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen, 2003; Ely, Ibarra, & Kolb, 2011).

We welcome theoretical, empirical and qualitative contributions examining gendered processes in executive leadership across diverse institutional and national contexts. Relevant topics include—but are not limited to—gender and power, executive decision-making, corporate governance and boards, leadership identity and legitimacy, career advancement and barriers, work–family dynamics, motherhood and leadership, intersectionality and the role of organizational policies in promoting equity and empowerment (Acker, 1990; Benschop & Doorewaard, 1998; Cook & Glass, 2014).

The primary purpose of this Special Issue is to generate new theoretical insights and empirical evidence that deepen our understanding of how gender shapes leadership at the top of organizations. By integrating perspectives from organizational theory, leadership studies and corporate governance, the issue seeks to move beyond descriptive accounts of underrepresentation toward richer explanations of power, inequality and change in executive contexts (Ridgeway, 2011; Stern, 2017).

(2) Contribution to and Relationship with Existing Literature

This Special Issue aims to usefully supplement and extend existing literature on gender and leadership in several ways. Prior research has documented gender differences in leadership styles (Eagly et al., 2003), career progression (Ibarra et al., 2013) and access to top management and board positions (Terjesen, Sealy, & Singh, 2009). However, important gaps remain regarding the organizational processes, power dynamics and institutional mechanisms that sustain gender inequalities at the executive level.

By encouraging contributions that examine micro-level processes (e.g., identity work, legitimacy, networks), meso-level organizational dynamics (e.g., governance structures, promotion systems, cultural norms) and macro-level institutional influences (e.g., regulation, societal expectations), this Special Issue seeks to bridge fragmented streams of research and promote integrative theory building (Acker, 1990; Ely et al., 2011). Additionally, it aims to foreground issues of empowerment, agency and structural change, highlighting not only barriers but also pathways toward more equitable and inclusive leadership systems.

In doing so, the Special Issue contributes to broader debates on inequality, power and organizational transformation, offering insights relevant to scholars, policymakers and practitioners seeking to foster gender equity in executive leadership (Cook & Glass, 2014; Ridgeway, 2011).

(3) Submission Process

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 300–500 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors (bmagnanelli@johncabot.edu) or to the Administrative Sciences editorial office (admsci@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer-review.

References

Acker, J. (1990). Hierarchies, jobs, bodies: A theory of gendered organizations. Gender & Society, 4(2), 139–158.

Benschop, Y., & Doorewaard, H. (1998). Covered by equality: The gender subtext of organizations. Organization Studies, 19(5), 787–805.

Cook, A., & Glass, C. (2014). Women and top leadership positions: Towards an institutional analysis. Gender, Work & Organization, 21(1), 91–103.

Eagly, A. H. (1987). Sex differences in social behavior: A social-role interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become leaders. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Eagly, A. H., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109(3), 573–598.

Eagly, A. H., Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C., & van Engen, M. L. (2003). Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: A meta-analysis comparing women and men. Psychological Bulletin, 129(4), 569–591.

Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Ely, R. J., Ibarra, H., & Kolb, D. M. (2011). Taking gender into account: Theory and design for women’s leadership development programs. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 10(3), 474–493.

Ibarra, H., Ely, R. J., & Kolb, D. M. (2013). Women rising: The unseen barriers. Harvard Business Review, 91(9), 60–66.

Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic Books.

Magnanelli B.S., & Raoli E. (2025). Female Leadership. Book Chapter in Diversity and Equity in Accounting: Emerging Issues, Challenges and Opportunities. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. pp. 175-187

Ridgeway, C. L. (2011). Framed by gender: How gender inequality persists in the modern world. New York: Oxford University Press.

Ryan, M. K., & Haslam, S. A. (2005). The glass cliff: Evidence that women are over-represented in precarious leadership positions. British Journal of Management, 16(2), 81–90.

Schein, V. E. (1973). The relationship between sex role stereotypes and requisite management characteristics. Journal of Applied Psychology, 57(2), 95–100.

Stern, I. (2017). The structure of power: How formal hierarchy shapes the social construction of influence. Administrative Science Quarterly, 62(4), 603–644.

Terjesen, S., Sealy, R., & Singh, V. (2009). Women directors on corporate boards: A review and research agenda. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 17(3), 320–337.

Tiscini R., Ciaburri M., Magnanelli B.S., Nasta L., (2023) Female CEOs and firm performance during COVID-19 pandemic: an Empirical Analysis of Italian Listed Firms, Journal of General Management, 0(0) 

Dr. Barbara Sveva Magnanelli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• female leadership
• gender
• stereotypes
• glass ceiling
• transformational leadership
• transactional leadership
• diversity
• board of directors