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This study examines the strategic responses of Chinese female business owners to perceived operational barriers, integrating insights from the Resource-Based View, Signaling Theory, Institutional Theory, and Social Role Theory. Data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (conducted in China in 2012; the sample comprises 2,700 firms from diverse China’s industries) was analyzed with advanced path modeling techniques. All statistical analyses were conducted using R (version 4.0.2) and SPSS 29. The R packages lavaan and semTools were utilized for implementing Structural Equation Model (SEM) techniques. How female ownership influences diversification strategies was investigated with the mediation effect of business environment barriers and the moderation effect of international certifications. It is revealed that female entrepreneurs are more likely to pursue international diversification due to heightened perceptions of business environment barriers. Perceived regulatory barriers are positively related to product diversification, while perceived business environment barriers are positively related to international diversification. Female business owners perceive operational barriers, particularly business environment challenges, as more significant than their male counterparts, mediating the relationship between female ownership and international diversification. Furthermore, international certifications, while associated with international diversification, attenuate the positive effect of female ownership on international diversification. These insights inform policies aimed at reducing domestic barriers and enhancing access to international markets for female entrepreneurs. Support mechanisms, such as accessible international certifications, can mitigate gender gaps in domestic markets and facilitate global opportunities for female business owners.

Abstract Background The underrepresentation of women in leadership remains a pervasive issue, prompting a critical examination of support mechanisms within professional settings. Previous studies have identified challenges women face, ranging from limited visibility to barriers to career advancement. This survey aims to investigate perceptions regarding the effectiveness of women’s leadership programs, mentoring initiatives, and a specialized communication course. Particularly it specifically targets addressing the challenges encountered by professional women. Methods This multi-center, observational, international online survey was developed in partnership between ESICM NEXT and the ESICM Diversity and Inclusiveness Monitoring Group for Healthcare. Invitations to participate were distributed to both females and men through emails and social networks. Data were collected from April 1, 2023, through October 1, 2023. Results Out of 354 respondents, 90 were men (25.42%) and 264 were women (74.58%). Among them, 251 completed the survey, shedding light on the persistent challenges faced by women in leadership roles, with 10%-50% of respondents holding such positions. Women’s assertiveness is viewed differently, with 65% recognizing barriers such as harassment. Nearly half of the respondent’s experience interruptions in meetings. Only 47.4% receiving conference invitations, with just over half accepting them. A mere 12% spoke at ESICM conferences in the last three years, receiving limited support from directors and colleagues, indicating varied obstacles for female professionals. Encouraging family participation, reducing fees, providing childcare, and offering economic support can enhance conference involvement. Despite 55% applying for ESICM positions, barriers like mobbing, harassment, lack of financial support, childcare, and language barriers were reported. Only 14% had access to paid family leave, while 32% benefited from subsidized childcare. Participation in the Effective Communication Course on Career Advancement Goals and engagement in women’s leadership and mentoring programs could offer valuable insights and growth opportunities. Collaborating with Human Resources and leadership allies is crucial for overcoming barriers and promoting women’s career growth. Conclusions The urgency of addressing identified barriers to female leadership in intensive care medicine is underscored by the survey’s comprehensive insights. A multifaceted and intersectional approach, considering sexism, structural barriers, and targeted strategies, is essential.

Based on data collected from managers of wine tourism businesses in rural areas in Portugal, this study highlights the equal potential of female leadership in wine tourism. Specifically, women’s profiles, management practices and leadership narratives were analyzed and contrasted with corresponding data reported by their male counterparts. Concerning personality traits, no statistical difference between men and women was identified, which was also the case for some management practices, with sustainability concerns being important for both male and female business managers. Differences were found in communication with markets, being dominated by online devices, particularly with social networks in the case of women. As for their leadership position, women further tend to prefer a shared management approach in opposition to a more individualist management style followed by men.

This study examined how female leadership, board communication, independent third-party assurance, and sustainability disclosure quality are interconnected in Nigerian listed firms. Using data from the top 100 firms on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group from 2013 to 2022, comprising 1000 observations, the study evaluates its hypotheses. Employing a panel regression analysis with the Random Effect (RE) robust estimation technique, the findings demonstrate that female leadership, board communication, and external assurance positively and significantly impact sustainability disclosure quality. This suggests that having women in leadership roles, fostering effective board communication through shared membership, and obtaining independent (external) assurance for sustainability disclosures enhance the quality of such reports. The robustness of the results is confirmed by the One-Year Lag Effect, which aligns with the outcomes of the main model. This positive correlation signifies an enhancement in the quality of sustainability disclosures within Nigeria. However, there is room for improvement, as indicated by descriptive statistics revealing a 20% level of sustainability disclosure quality. This study underscores the need for regulators, firm management, and stakeholders to bolster compliance with sustainability reporting standards and guidelines, exerting pressure to elevate disclosure quality. In addition, the research fills gaps in the literature by providing fresh empirical evidence and insights regarding the significance of female leadership, board communication, and external assurance in shaping sustainability disclosure quality among Nigerian listed firms.

The purpose of the study was to explore gender stereotypes and factors contributing for the gender gap in the school leadership position in North Wello Zone. To achieve the purpose descriptive case study was employed. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were used to collect data from senior female principals, teachers and WEOHs. The study revealed that the stereotyped view towards females’ leadership potential was resulted from societal perspectives and traditions and socio-cultural trends towards possession of the leadership position. Moreover, marriage and home responsibilities, stakeholders’ perception and females’ self-perception towards leadership are other contributing factors. To bridge the gap, the study suggested creating awareness to the society, avoiding using implicit criteria during selection and promotion, bringing model female leaders to the front, and critically implementing gender mainstreaming strategies. Therefore, unless concerned government and NGOs critically evaluate the impact of their effort, it is less likely to bring change on societal attitudes and to enable females break the glass-ceiling and the concrete wall.

This article provides in-depth data on gender diversity, corporate governance practices and specific firm factors. The study compiles panel data for all publicly listed companies in the United States, featured in the S&P index from 2000 to 2018, except for financial and utilities firms. The data set includes variables regarding gender diversity, board characteristics, firm performance, and other crucial factors. The data was extracted from the annual reports of each firm using Compustat and BoardEX databases. Researchers can apply the data in assessing the impact of appointing female directors on the value of a firm through event studies. Moreover, the dataset can help address endogeneity issues, enabling researchers to control for potential confounding variables and draw more accurate conclusions.

The underrepresentation of women in STEM fields needs to be highlighted through data to assist decision-makers and public policy creators in addressing the issue effectively. However, the lack of structured, organized data published openly in this domain is still a reality. To address this problem, a Latin American research network called ELLAS was created. The project's goal is to develop a platform with Semantic Web-based technologies to structure and concentrate data from Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia, initially. This paper presents the processes defined for the collection and curation of both unstructured and structured data, sourced from scientific articles, social networks, and existing open data. We explore the architecture design in a way that facilitates understanding of the details of the processes and the actors involved for each data source. We present the preliminary results from the application of these processes, and the strategies for future work, which include the data extraction and curation, and the ontology and knowledge graph development We also present some of the undergoing work, such as the survey development and application as well as showing what still hasn't been done, such as the platform development.

This research explores the intricate interplay between female leadership style, organizational culture, work motivation, and lecturer performance in private universities located in Tangerang City, aiming to shed light on their collective impact on education quality. Employing a quantitative survey approach with a sample of 382 lecturers chosen through simple random sampling, data analysis was executed using Partial Least Square (PLS) software version 3.0. The results unveiled a counterintuitive negative influence of female leadership style on lecturer performance, substantiated by a significant t-statistic value of 2.176 (p-value = 0.030 < 0.05). Conversely, organizational culture exhibited a potent positive effect, with a remarkable t-statistic value of 17.823 (p-value = 0), emphasizing its pivotal role in elevating lecturer performance. In conclusion, this study underscores the need for women in leadership to cultivate a supportive organizational culture to mitigate potential detrimental effects on lecturer performance, ultimately enhancing the overall educational quality of private universities in Tangerang City. These findings have broader implications for similar educational contexts and organizational leadership practices, highlighting the importance of fostering inclusive and conducive environments.

The critiques of Authentic Leadership Theory (ALT) require us to reconsider the concept of authenticity in leadership. Through semi-structured interviews with 14 female entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom (UK), this study sought to establish whether the concept of authenticity in leadership has practical applicability for female entrepreneurs. Support was found for the strongest critiques of ALT, and a consensus was identified among the participants that being authentic in leadership is a balancing act between the values of the individual and the values of (and duties to) the organisation and its members. The study also found that, as entrepreneurs, the participants did not experience the challenges of being authentic leaders that extant literature has shown females in other roles to be experiencing. The findings lead to the proposition that the concept of ALT is abandoned and replaced by a more fluid understanding that acknowledges the complexities and subjectivities associated with the notions of ‘leading with authenticity’.

In 2020 the new COVID-19-virus brought an external shock to the stock markets. In this situation effective leadership was essential to bring companies through the crisis. Political observation showed that countries led by women managed the pandemic situation more effectively than those led by men. Therefore, the research objective of this article is to examine whether female leaders were also more successful to guide companies through the pandemic. Success in this study is defined as financial performance based on stock prices. To find out whether female managers showed a better financial performance during this crisis, this study examined all companies listed on the German Stock Exchange, which have at least 50 % women in the board. To compare this female managed companies to firms managed mainly by male managers, a market value weighted index for the female managed companies was conducted and compared to the German Stock Index DAX by looking at several financial key figures. The analysis of these key figures shows that female managed companies outperformed male managed companies in terms of return as well as risk in the year of the COVID-pandemic but were not able to keep their overperformance in the subsequent years. This may be an indicator that women are superior in leading a company through a crisis but suffer in terms of performance when times have calmed down.

Abstract: This research aims to analyze an influence of female leadership on public service performance moderated by good governance using the context of local government studies in Indonesia (districts and cities). The findings of this research increase our understanding of the influence of female leadership, public sector governance, and performance in local government service delivery. By using 4,910 local government observation data in Indonesia from 2009 to 2019, the empirical findings of this research showed that female leadership has a positive and significant influence on the achievement of public service performance. Furthermore, these results indicate that having female leadership can help the organization achieve better strategies and goals. In addition, good governance can strengthen the influence of female leadership on the performance of public services. This research implies that the existence of female leadership supported by good governance skills can provide maximum service to the public.

AbstractIn Saudi Arabia’s higher education, women remain an untapped resource, with many limitations in holding key positions and pursuing professional career development. However, over the past few years, the government of Saudi Arabia has actively promoted female leadership by implementing Vision 2030. Considering the substantial progress made in female leadership, it is imperative to explore the present state of female leadership in higher education institutions in the country. Additionally, there is a general scarcity of research on the role of women in Saudi higher education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 academic professionals. The data were analyzed following a thematic approach using NVivo 12 software. The results indicated that the acceptance of female leaders in Saudi Arabia’s higher education sector is highly subjective and depends on several factors (e.g. age, educational background, and leader’s proficiency). Despite the perceived need to diversify the system and use females’ potential capabilities to advance education, the participation of females in leadership positions still lags behind that of males. Based on our thematic analysis results, there is currently no specific process for identifying and selecting new leaders, and future leaders are mainly chosen by top powers in the university. Although the Saudi government strongly supports female leadership through Vision 2030, it is occurring at a slow pace. The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge by prompting the government and decision-makers to consider taking actions that would foster females’ talent, and consequently, the integration of more women into the educational system

We examined whether female leaders would be evaluated less favorably compared to male leaders regarding workplace bullying. Previous research has demonstrated that women violating prescriptive gender norms of communality experience backlash, and that female leaders are stereotyped of having a communality deficit. Building on that, we hypothesized (1) more moral outrage against and (2) more intentions to punish a female leader compared to a male leader. We further hypothesized (3) the accusations of workplace bullying against a female leader were going to be judged as more accurate than against a male leader. Further, defendants that stereotypically fit to the crime they are accused of were found to be judged guilty more often. So, we assumed, (4) a suspected bully that is a female leader was going to be judged as less credible, while (2) the suspected victim of a female leader bully was going to be judged as more credible compared to a male leader. Participants (N = 202) read a workplace bullying scenario with a female employee accusing either a female or a male leader of bullying. No effect of gender of suspected bully was found for moral outrage measures, punishment intention judgments, and credibility judgments. Contrary to our predictions, participants found the accusations against the male leader significantly more accurate than against the female leader. Gender and sex-role scores of participants were found to be linked to judgments. Implications for future research are discussed.

Developments in female access to HE have been significant in recent history with women taking increasingly larger shares in accessing higher education programmes globally. Whilst access to education has increased, it remains just that – access. This increase has not been equally reflected in female leadership of HEIs and decision making bodies. Multiple reasons are attributed to this but most prominent are career breaks and caring responsibilities. Exclusion from after work social activities could also be a factor for this. A broad comparison of the UK and Arab world shows similar patterns but given the relative youth of some of the HE sectors in the Arab world, numbers of female leaders are significantly reduced. The global HE sector has witnessed a huge shift in the last few decades both in terms of structures and student expectations. Universities have generally adapted to this change to ensure their relevance and survival. Though HEIs are the most obvious custodians for merit based progression; the pace of change in female participation at leadership levels remains slow and given the pressures institutions are facing to respond to the global digitalisation revolution, larger female representation needs to be expedited.

After half a century of formal equality regarding ministry in Protestant churches, female leaders have become increasingly common in Protestant churches in Western Europe and North America. However, in Hungary—and in East-Central Europe in general—women leaders are typically absent. Based on in-depth interviews with clergywomen, our study, which has focused on clergywomen’s aspirations and choices, explores the reasons why women’s church careers in Hungary will stop progressing at a certain point. We argue that by adapting to the traditional gender beliefs typical in Hungarian churches, clergywomen’s choices contribute to the maintenance of the existing gender order rather than challenge it Nevertheless, through their growing presence and the way in which they minister, Hungarian clergywomen have gradually expanded women’s opportunities in the church, albeit mostly unintentionally, by following a special way of emancipation: ‘norm-following emancipation’. This way of emancipation legitimizes women in the ministry but does not promote women in leadership roles.

Abstract This study examines the contributions of three female pioneers to the leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. This study presents an empirical analysis of the leadership contributions of the female leader of a faith-based organization, one of the first female Lutheran ministers, and the first female bishop, thereby contributing to a better understanding of female church leadership. The leadership role of these women can be characterized as symbolic change-making, as ideological, value-based, and relational community building. Despite resistance, the women were moved by their personal calling to assume a symbolic leadership role, embodying change in the church. They were reluctant to define a leadership position, but took steps toward a more inclusive and holistic church, infusing the organization with values such as compassion, equality, and justice, while fighting for social issues and working for outcasts. They displayed as well a relational and holistic orientation, building communities of sisterhood and family-oriented fellowship.

This article explores the Ancient Near East and Deuteronomy 17:15–20 from a feminist perspective in order to reappropriate the patriarchal recollections of failed male leadership and attempts to invertedly stifle female leadership. If one considers the aforementioned text by reflecting on its context, there is also an obligation to bear in mind gender sensitivities, feminism and complexity of the 21st century, but more importantly one needs to move beyond this toward the inclusiveness of women by the reappropriation of such texts (both from the Ancient Near East and Deuteronomy 17:15–20). Using a feminist lens, a combination of the sociological-historical and critical method will assist the reader in juxtaposing and navigating these two complex contexts. Literature relating to Hebrew culture predominately reinforces the status of male leadership to highlight their society’s need for strong leaders. However, seldom was female leadership considered a viable alternative or what, if any, the shortcomings of such leaders might be. However, if 21st -century women are to reappropriate Deuteronomy 17 in order to prioritise female leadership, various levels of society could stand to benefit. Women leadership, if given a chance, has the potential to edify people’s legal and political status.

There are two well-known truths about Japan: one is that Japan is one of the most advanced economies, which takes pride in its highly advanced technology, social infrastructure and system; the other is that Japan ranks lowest at women’s social participation among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Even though the Japanese government has initiated programs to promote female participation and advancement in society, these initiatives have not yet borne remarkable fruit. This study intends to address this issue by investigating the effectiveness of female leadership in Japan, specifically its effect on organizations’ gender diversity and inclusion (D&I) climate and employees’ task-related positive attitudes. Synthesizing social information processing theory and social identity theory, the study examines 306 Japanese employees working with their female supervisors in medium- and large-sized manufacturing companies. The findings show that female ambidextrous leadership contributes to shape and strengthen a gender D&I climate and ultimately enhances employees’ hope on their work. In addition, the positive effect of a gender D&I climate on employees’ hope is the same for all employees regardless of gender. The findings clarify the role of female leadership and the underlying psychological mechanism through which female leadership influences employees’ positive work attitudes. This first empirical study in Japan contributes to the research on female leadership and D&I management.

The article focuses on the role of women in management. Particular attention is paid to the disproportionate representation of women and men in decision-making and at leadership positions. The article is aimed at covering the problematics of gender inequality in the professional management activities in Ukraine. The objectives of the research are: disclosure of the essence of gender development and gender inequality in the context of human development; study on the status of gender inequality in Ukraine and the world; statistical analysis of gender aspects of employment in the sphere of management; disclosure of modern representation of women at different levels of management both in the public and private sectors. The authors use both general scientific and specific methods of research, in particular: analysis of legislation, scientific and professional literature, generalization, systematization, classification. It is shown that the proportion of women in management in the XXI century tends to parity with the number of men, but female leadership is mostly limited to medium and lower levels of management. It is proven that the distribution of leadership positions between the sexes reflects gender stereotypes about the traditional activities of men and women. The sectors in which female leaders prevail are allocated and the least gender-diversified areas of activity are outlined. It is determined that inequality between women and men in access to institutions of political and economic power and leadership is a manifestation of social disparity and gender imbalance, which is a serious social contradiction, a problem that should now become the basis for further research of scientific and applied nature. It is concluded that ensuring gender equality, parity and women’s empowerment is of fundamental importance for the sustainable development of society.

The United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union (broadly known as Brexit) is one of the most outstanding historical events of the 21st Century to date. Two major figures have led this process politically: Theresa May and Boris Johnson, the two Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom since 2016. This paper, however, focuses on the former, as she is a female politician in a controversial situation, and thus the way she is presented can serve an example of how women in power are represented by the media. This research was designed with the aim of discovering the roles attributed to Theresa May by Spanish digital media throughout this process. The fact that people in Spain are becoming deeply concerned with women’s advances in society was motivated the desire to test how Spanish media represent female leaders, such as May. To complete this study, fifty-four publications from three different Spanish digital media leaders of audience (El Mundo, El País and El Español) were taken as a reference. The methodological procedure used was Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), based on semantic relationships, and although some comparisons between relative and absolute frequencies were made, the general approach is basically qualitative. Through this analysis, it has been discovered that Theresa May is presented in a different way depending on the remaining characters, usually masculine, who participate in the action. These differences are mainly observable between those articles in which May relates to her European counterparts and those in which she deals with her British colleagues.

There is a disdain for women in leadership positions in South African local government, and this can be attributed to manifold factors. Some of these factors may include distrust of women’s capacity or capability and leadership styles, flexibility and consultation in decision-making, issues of values and ethos, demography and social class, and political considerations in South African local government system. The objective of this article is to (1) explore gender roles in South African local government systems, (2) assess distrust of women in leadership positions in South African local government, and (3) explore how the male boss syndrome suppresses the creativity and efficiency of women in leadership positions in South African local governments. Data for this study were derived from female managements in several municipalities in the Northwest Province of South Africa. The findings demonstrate that innovation and a creative mindset are overlooked by male leaders in local government, simply because they emanate from a woman. Further, while women are hailed and acknowledged for their successes in business, science, technology, and innovation, and even have been considered for the presidency, at government levels, the sentiments are different, in that males in the sector consider the local parlance as a settlement for the liberation struggle. In conclusion, the transformation of gender relations may not be dramatic, but disruptions can quicken the process.

What can we learn about gender equality from the women in Scripture today? Can women in Scripture serve as role models for the women striving for leadership positions and could there be a potential correlation with current-day policies and practices supporting gender balance, and Christian ethical standards? This article, based on the Reformed paradigm, addresses women portrayed in formal and informal roles spanning from leaders, teachers, prophets and other prominent characters – each playing their roles in Scripture. It is argued that despite women often being placed in marginal positions in Scripture, they nevertheless permeate the Bible in narratives on resourcefulness, auto-leadership, and in their place in securing and upholding the Covenant with God. It will be demonstrated how women are presented as necessary partakers in the most significant of biblical narratives, and that their leadership exertion typically has a necessary role in the overarching scriptural scenarios. It will appear that by taking a closer approach to Scripture, we can take inspiration from female biblical leadership figures in most, if not all realms of today’s life. Contribution: It will be clear that Scripture lends sufficient support to promote full and complete gender equality, whether this be expressed in corporate life, government, or family. The examples gleaned from Scripture will demonstrate how gender equality not only is something that Scripture allows, but also expects.

Orientation: Although significant progress has been made globally in gender equality, women still occupy less political influence, fewer leadership positions and yield less control over their careers than most men. Gender inequality is evident in male-dominated work environments such as the security industry. Research purpose: This study reflects on women’s perceptions on gender equality and career progression in the South African security industry. Motivation for the study: In post-democracy South Africa, women are categorised as previously disadvantaged, therefore a priority group in terms of advancement. However, it is still unclear, from the narratives of the women themselves, how their career progression is encumbered in the milieu of the security industry. Research approach/design and method: Through qualitative one-on-one semi-structured interviews, 15 women, working in the security industry, shared their experiences concerning gender equality and career progression. Data were analysed thematically, guided by the context of the gendered security profession. Main findings: The findings reveal that women experience slower career progression than men in terms of rejection and work allocation. Moreover, negative perceptions of female leadership among colleagues was a factor hindering career progression. Practical/managerial implications: This study argues by doing gender well, equality in the security workplace can be obtained. Furthermore, the study encourages South African security managers to recognise how aspects such as rejection, work allocation and a negative perception of female leadership may encumber the career progression of female security professionals. Contribution/value-add: The study contributes to scientific knowledge and discourse regarding women’s perceptions on gender equality and career progression.

Cash holding decision is a very crucial decision that strongly affects the performance of an organization. Corporate dynamism as a corporate governance tool was explored in this study in order to establish its relationship with cash holding decision in listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria. Board skill, female leadership, foreign directors, board ownership and directors’ compensation were used as proxies for corporate dynamism. A panel regression model was adopted in this study to examine the implication of corporate dynamism on cash holding decisions spanning six years from 2012 to 2017. Random sampling technique was employed in order to arrive at thirty firms out of thirty-seven listed manufacturing firms, which comprised industrial and consumer goods sector. Board ownership and the existence of foreign expatriates were found to have a significant effect on cash holding decisions. It is concluded that directors with significant holdings tend to be more aggressive towards activities that enhance the performance of a firm, one of which is ensuring that optimal level of cash is held at a particular point in time in order to guide against liquidity problems, which may be caused by overtrading or even keeping excess idle cash, which is supposed to be invested in profitable ventures. Also, the fact that the existence of foreign expatriates will affect cash holding decisions, which may be justified by the fact foreign expatriates are displaying expertise because of diverse experience that they have been able to gain from different parts of the world.

Based on a field research conducted in the State of Maranhão (Brazil), we consider aspects of empowerment prompted by a traditional female leadership existent in several cities of that state. This headship was established in the context of the celebrations in honor of Holy Spirit and provides material which raise interesting questions, such as: Has the female leadership empowered women who play during this festivity? How do the women who participate evaluate their own role within the overall context of the ceremony? Did their headship contribute to undermining racial, social, and gender prejudices? Although our object of study belongs to the field of cultural studies, encompassing both performative and representational aspects of this widely spread Brazilian manifestation, in order to exemplify empowerment, these questions will be addressed having as a case study a group of women called Caixeiras do Divino [The Holy Spirit’s Drumers], who are the responsible for the general organization of the ceremony.

The aim of this contribution is to examine the gender inequalities issues, particularly those of women, within the political communication field and leadership processes. Despite several recommendations to reduce the gender gap, women continue to be under-represented in all sectors of society. The question tackles several aspects as the real political opportunities for women to access into public careers and their difficulty of being correctly represented in a still strong masculine culture. The starting point is the imbalance of power into public and political fields and the difficult to affirm gender opportunities in a communicative space where digitalization processes are accentuating inequalities. Along with resistance linked to the dominant political culture, the media system is also responsible for this imbalance. On the one hand, it reproduces cultural models that penalize gender representations, on the other hand, it not intervenes enough to contrast his internal structural imbalance. In addition, the action of gender-related political movements is showing effectiveness in changing the policy making. The broad literature confirms that the problems are not new, but the current political and social situation and the great transformation that has taken place in the field of political communication obliges us to review the theoretical and empirical background.

Marriage and divorce are factors that impact female leadership in Africa. Women are defined by their roles as wives and mothers and less as leaders. There is a dearth of research on the influence of marriage and divorce on female leadership in Africa. Most studies have focused on the societal importance of marriage and the negative effects of divorce on families. Using Wangarĩ Maathai’s biography Unbowed, this paper explores the role of marriage and divorce and their intersection with Maathai’s leadership. To enrich the analysis, I introduce insights from Naleli Morojele’s study of Rwandan and South African female political leaders. African feminist thought, transformative leadership theory, and African concepts of marriage and divorce form the theoretical framework. The main findings indicate that Maathai’s leadership is transformative. African feminism recognizes the role of men in women’s equality. Female leadership has increased in Africa, though it contends with socio-cultural attitudes and colonial legacies that fuel its skepticism. Marriage is a duty and the focus of existence in African thought and divorce is synonymous with failure. Women’s disunity on gender issues is problematic. Female leadership is very demanding and costly to family relationships. These findings are important in identifying gaps between policy and social attitudes on female leadership in Africa.

After the fall of Soeharto Regime in 1998, the Reform Era in Indonesia began by promoted freedom and autonomy. The centralized approach based on the New Order’s Act No. 5/1974 was replaced by the Act No. 22/1999 on Local Government Autonomy by gave considerable authority to regencies (kabupaten) and municipalities (kota or kotamadya). Some of the scholars labelled the Act No. 22/1999 as “one of the most radical decentralization programs attempted anywhere in the world” (Aspinall 2003: 3). Several years later Act No. 22/1999 was replaced by Act No. 32/2004. Some scholars have suggested that Act No. 32/2004 indicates “recentralization” in the sense that it strengthens the central government by giving it a degree of control over administrative and fiscal matters (Pratikno 2009: 57; Buehler 2009: 102). However, the significant point in the Act No. 32/2004 which introduced direct local head election mechanism for electing local government head was the structural opportunities for women to take greater leadership in local politics. As result, the direct local election from 2005 until 2017 demonstrates the trend of increasing number female political leaders elected as governors/regents/mayors in local politics in post-Suharto.

Abstract. The most dominant issue in contemporary leadership is gender issues. The position of men is considered more special than women. This view has led to the emergence of discriminatory practices against women, not least in the world of Christianity. The views of conservative theologians in relation to the realm of leadership are not so different from the above. The stereotype is often a strong reason for restricting or forbidding women to become leaders. Through this study, the author analyzes some important sections of the text from Judge 4-5 through the character analysis method, to answer the polemic and to the understanding that the effectiveness of a leader is not based on gender. Through this analysis the result is that there is no partiality to one gender in the election of a leader in the midst of God's people. Abstrak. Isu yang paling dominan dalam kepemimpinan kontemporer adalah isu gender. Kedudukan laki-laki dipandang lebih istimewa dibandingkan perempuan. Pandangan tersebut menyebabkan munculnya praktik diskriminasi terhadap kaum perempuan, tidak terkecuali dalam dunia Kekristenan. Pandangan para teolog konservatif sehubungan dengan ranah kepemimpinan, tidak berbeda jauh dengan pandangan tersebut di atas. Stereotype tersebut seringkali menjadi alasan yang kuat untuk membatasi atau melarang wanita untuk menjadi pemimpin. Melalui penelitian ini, penulis menganalisis beberapa bagian teks yang penting dari Kitab Hakim-hakim 4-5 melalui metode analisis tokoh, untuk menjawab polemik tersebut dan pemahaman bahwa keefektifan seorang pemimpin, tidak berdasarkan pada gender. Melalui analisis tersebut diperoleh hasil bahwa tidak ada keberpihakan terhadap satu gender dalam terpilihnya seorang pemimpin di tengah-tengah umat Allah.

Along time, it was considered that women lack leadership qualities. Nowadays, gender diversityin the business environment and, especially, in the top management has become an increasinglydiscussed and analyzed topic, especially in the Western countries. Among those who were concerned about this border between female and male leadership, Hofstede- who, in his attempt to identify specific aspects of organizational culture, defined masculinitybased on the more arrogant or more modest behavior of the individuals. According to him,"masculine" means a proud behavior having the tendency of showing self-inner qualities while"feminine" is a modest, temperamental behavior. Masculinity does not necessarily mean women's disadvantage, but rather the inequality betweenwomen and men. Although efforts have been made to diminish these gaps, statistics show that thereare still differences in the leading position employment for women, as compared to the number ofmen in leadership positions.

Female Leadership in the Church. A Pentecostal Perspective This study discusses the question of whether women may lead on every level in a Christian church, from a Pentecostal hermeneutical perspective. It offers a short historical introduction to how female leadership has been understood and practiced in the Pentecostal movement, with a particular focus on the Norwegian context. The study argues that a theological debate regarding female leadership is still both necessary and fruitful for both sociological and theological reasons. The authors suggest that in general, a Pentecostal hermeneutic should not only accentuate propositional theology but also give weight to narrative theology, including paradigmatic experiences that may be identified in the biblical stories. Through an examination of female leaders in the biblical narratives, it is demonstrated that female leadership is both described and encouraged. The study also discusses objections to female leadership based on certain Pauline texts and concludes that these texts do not represent a general rejection of female leadership in the church.

Dr. Lara Khoury, MD, FRCPC, is an assistant professor and geriatrician at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH). She holds numerous leadership positions, including the post-graduate Program Director of the Geriatrics Program of the University of Ottawa and the Medical Director of TOH Inpatient Geriatric Service. Currently, she is also a Co-Chair of the Female Physician Leadership Committee at TOH. In order to remove barriers faced by female physicians wishing to take on leadership roles at TOH, a number of aspiring and passionate female doctors, including Dr. Khoury, came together to form the Female Physician Leadership Committee. With the full support of TOH’s senior management team, the committee has implemented several initiatives to encourage more female physicians to take on leadership roles. The committee’s role is imperative as there has been an increasing awareness of the gender imbalance at TOH over the past years. According to a survey conducted by TOH in 2011, only 30 percent of the hospital’s physicians are female, while less than 20% of them are division heads, and less than 8% of them are department heads [1]. Today, the numbers do not look very different. To gain further insight into the importance of female leadership in medicine and her extensive leadership involvement, we would like to share our interview with Dr. Khoury. Résumé Dre Lara Khoury, MD, FRCPC, est professeure adjointe et gériatre à L’Hôpital d’Ottawa (L’HO). Elle occupe de nombreux postes de direction, y compris le poste de directrice des programmes poste-diplômés du programme de gériatrie de l’Université d’Ottawa et le poste de directrice médicale du Service de gériatrie de l’Hôpital d’Ottawa. Elle est actuellement co-présidente du Comité de leadership des femmes médecins de L’HO. Afin d’éliminer les obstacles auxquels sont confrontées les femmes médecins souhaitant assumer des rôles de leadership à L’HO, un certain nombre de femmes médecins aspirantes et passionnées, incluant Dre Khoury, se sont réunies pour former le Comité de direction des femmes médecins. Avec le plein appui de l’équipe de la haute direction de L’HO, le comité a mis en œuvre plusieurs initiatives pour encourager plus de femmes médecins à assumer des rôles de leadership. Le rôle du comité est impératif, suite à la sensibilisation accrue au déséquilibre entre les sexes à L’HO au cours des dernières années. Selon une enquête menée par l’Hôpital en 2011, seulement 30% des médecins de l’hôpital sont des femmes, alors que moins de 20% d’entre eux sont chefs de division et moins de 8% sont des chefs de service [1]. Aujourd’hui, les chiffres ne sont pas très différents. Pour mieux comprendre l’importance du leadership féminin en médecine et son implication considérable dans le leadership, nous aimerions partager notre interview avec la Dre Khoury.

In order to analyze differences in the perceptions that employees have about how female and male managers promote wellness within companies, this study constructed a characterization of leadership based on respect and inclusion of employees in the decision making process, as well as in the replacement of the concentration in power and status by focusing on efficiency and effectiveness of the company, which was intended to verify through the perception of employees. For this purpose, a leadership and well-being questionnaire was built, based on the theory of personal constructs Kelly and structured on two fators - structure and consideration – and administered to 572 subjects belonging to 23 companies in the Algarve region, in Portugal, plus 39 interviews with managers indicated as good examples of managers promote job wellness. Although only a minority declared favoring female managers, the results showed more favorable scores for women's leadership in both fators, particularly in the segments in which the subjects were led by women, or said they would prefer to have women as leaders. The interviews and analysis to open questions allowed to characterize further the stereotype and gender-based leadership. This study gave emphasis to the leadership style favoring the well-being of employees, which may be exercised by female and male managers, suggesting the feminine courage to innovate as a subject for future research.

Las fases de proceso de la industria salmonera chilena emplean gran cantidad de mano de obra femenina sobre la base de la naturalización de una ideología de género que atribuye a las mujeres tanto habilidades motrices como un supuesto recelo a participar en organizaciones sindicales. Sin embargo, en un contexto de alta conflictividad laboral y en respuesta a la precariedad del trabajo, se observa la emergencia de importantes liderazgos sindicales femeninos. El presente trabajo analiza por una parte los sindicatos salmoneros, y su capacidad de incluir temas de género, como también aspectos de la subjetividad y los discursos de las emergentes mujeres dirigentas. En este sentido se observará que las lideresas no compartimentan su experiencia personal, sino que organizan su subjetividad en forma integrada, aunque tensionada por los diversos roles, por una parte maternizando su trabajo sindical y por la otra, politizando su vida privada.The Chilean salmon industry processing plants demand important amounts of female labour-force on the ground of naturalized attributed female gender characteristics, such as nimble fingers and particularly, lower union participation. However, in a context of high labour conflict and in response to precarious labour condition, important female leaderships have emerged. This work analyzes, on the one hand, the salmon unions, and their capacity to include gender issues, and, on the other hand, aspects of the subjectivity and speeches of the emergent women leaders. I will argue that female leaders do no fragment their personal experience, but organized their subjectivity in an integrated but also stressed way, on the one hand mothering their trade union activity, and on the other, politicizing their private life.

Neste trabalho busco analisar formas de mobilização feminina a partir de uma cooperativa habitacional cujas famílias cooperadas podem ser classificadas como membros das classes trabalhadoras. Essa cooperativa contou com apoio financeiro e técnico de uma ONG que a organizou por meio do regime de mutirão familiar da mão de obra para a construção de casas próprias. O cooperativismo proposto como nova forma de organização política e econômica da sociedade investe no poder de articulação coletiva acumulada na história das classes trabalhadoras. Ao atualizar princípios socioculturais importantes, como o espírito de solidariedade e a articulação da rede de sociabilidade, as mulheres cooperadas passaram a participar de tarefas tradicionalmente masculinas e a exercer um poder de liderança sutil e criativa, conferindo um sentido específico de coletividade ao grupo de famílias.In this paper I seek to examine ways of women mobilization in a working class Housing Cooperative. The cooperative under study had financial and technical support from an NGO, which helped to organize it through family workforce for self-construction. The cooperative proposed as a new form of political and economic organization of society invests in the power of collective articulation accumulated in the history of the working classes. When updating important socio-cultural principles, like the spirit of solidarity and articulation of the sociability network, the women members began to participate in traditionally masculine tasks and to exercise a subtle and creative leadership, giving a specific sense of collectiveness to the group of families.

Despite the fact that women now comprise half of the medical student and resident populations, women remain underrepresented in prominent leadership positions in academia. Women are challenging themselves to live up to the expectations of their professional peers, society, and their patients in order to ‘have it all.’ These pressures are leading to professional and personal dissatisfaction. Is this a problem that will resolve itself as the younger generations of female physicians graduate into faculty positions, or does it require more attention from both male and female medical professionals?

This paper examines how two Portuguese women rectors constructed narratives on their path to leadership positions and their performance of leadership roles. The study is based on a qualitative empirical analysis based on life story interviews with two women rectors in Portugal. The results from this research suggest that women rectors tend to develop narratives about their professional route to the top as based on merit and hard work, and tend to classify their leadership experience as gender-neutral and grounded on the establishment of good relationships with their peers along their professional path. These narratives may contribute to reinforcing the male norm that leads other women to blame themselves for not being able to progress in their career, hindering the creation of an organisational environment that is open to the development of institutional policies to improve equal opportunities. Portugal is a very interesting case study, considering that despite the long history of its higher education system and the high participation of women in higher education, there were only two women rectors in the country until 2014.