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Gender inequality remains prevalent in leadership positions within South African schools. Previous research attributes this disparity to socio-cultural factors that hinder women's advancement into leadership roles. However, limited studies have examined the effectiveness of existing gender legislation in promoting equality. This article explores the role of gender legislation in fostering equitable school leadership in selected primary schools in Gauteng. Grounded in an emancipatory paradigm, the study adopts a qualitative approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue. Key participants included the School Governing Bodies as stakeholders during the promotion of school managements, union representatives as observers in ensuring that gender policies are applied effectively, and the district officials involved in recruitment processes. Therefore, consisting of crucial members who play a crucial role in implementing gender legislation during leadership appointments. Data collection methods used in the study were obtained using semi-structured interviews and document analysis, which consisted of gender legislation applicable in the Department of Education. Data was analysed by means of thematic analysis. Findings indicated that the effectiveness of gender legislation largely depends on its implementers, who often fail to adhere to it. Additionally, women are frequently perceived as less effective in handling school disciplinary issues, a key criterion in principal selection, leading to male dominance in middle and senior management positions. The study recommends that the implementation of gender legislation be a collective responsibility of all stakeholders within the Education Department, rather than being left solely to selection panels, which may prioritise personal interests over equitable representation of leadership.

This paper explores the effects of Matriarchal leadership styles on the performance and success of female-led businesses in South Africa, intending to generate insights that support women entrepreneurs in achieving their objectives within a competitive market.  Using a Systematic Literature Review, this paper analysed current scholarly articles, reports and studies that examine the relationship between matriarchal leadership and entrepreneurial success. The review process involved source identification, data extraction, critical analysis, and synthesis to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic. The findings revealed that matriarchal leadership styles significantly enhance business performance by fostering empathy, collaboration and inclusivity, which contribute to supportive work environments, increased productivity and innovation. This paper highlights important managerial and policy implications, recommending that inclusive leadership strengthens team cohesion and organisational effectiveness. The paper is original in addressing the limited adoption of matriarchal leadership due to patriarchal norms, misconceptions, limited research, and organisational resistance to change. 

The purpose of the study was to explore the challenges and strategies of cultivating and promoting inclusivity and diversity in the energy sector. Grounded in the interpretivist research paradigm, a qualitative approach was adopted specifically using descriptive multiple case study design. In-depth interviews were conducted from sixteen purposively selected participants from the energy industry in Chipinge district, Zimbabwe. Data was analyzed using the thematic data analysis technique.  The study found out that the work environment in the energy industry was partially inclusive. There is evidence of both success stories and challenges with regards to inclusivity in the energy sector. The main challenges faced by the energy sector in promoting inclusivity include resource inadequacies, unconscious biases, resistance to change, communication barriers, tokenism, lack of knowledge and commitment from managers, strategic misalignment, policy deficiency and gender disparities in leadership roles. The strategies that can be employed to cultivate an inclusive work environment are the development of comprehensive policies, cultural transformation through management training, deliberate inclusion in procurement and infrastructure design, regular employee surveys, inclusive leadership programs, and mentorship initiatives. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on fostering inclusivity in the workplace by equipping all stakeholders with full knowledge and understanding of inclusive workplace dynamics. The study also contributes to the body of knowledge by shedding light on the challenges faced by the energy sector and strategies for accelerating the embracing of inclusivity in the energy sector. Furthermore, the study adds to the underexplored discourse of diversity management in Southern Africa and brings a grounded qualitative voice to the broader literature.

Using yearly data on corporate social responsibility ratings from public-listed companies in Taiwan from 2013 to 2017, this paper empirically explores the impact of female directors ratio on corporate social responsibility rating, especially looking at whether the different impact of controlling ownership structure (public-dominated, co-governed, single-family) on corporate social responsibility rating. Our empirical results indicate that a higher the ratio of female directors significantly reduce the corporate social responsibility rating, especially for the family-controlled company. Although the public-owned controlling company improves the corporate social responsibility rating, however, the higher the ratio of female directors, regardless of the type of group, would significantly lower the corporate social responsibility rating.

This study investigates the influence of board gender diversity on the shareholder value of South African-listed non-financial companies on the JSE from 2013 to 2022. The study used a quantitative quasi-experimental method to examine the influence of board gender diversity on shareholder value creation measures from a multi-theoretical perspective. The board gender diversity measures include the proportion of women directors on the board, the Blau index for board gender diversity, and dummy variables indicating the presence of one, two, three, or more women directors on the board, as well as skewed board, tilted board, and balanced board. Shareholder value creation is proxied using standardised market value added, market-to-book ratio, and Tobin’s Q. The study utilises fixed effects models based on linear and curvilinear models to test the hypotheses. According to linear models, all board gender diversity measures demonstrate a significant positive, negative, or no effect on shareholder value creation measures, aligning with the multi-theoretical perspective of corporate governance research. However, curvilinear quadratic models suggest that the Blau index for board gender diversity and the proportion of women directors on board positively and negatively affect shareholder value creation, highlighting an inverted U-shaped effect. The results recognise the "too much- of- a -good- thing” effect and a possible optimal(or worse) level of board gender diversity as crucial. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the claim of the ‘‘one size fits all’’ board gender diversity mechanism in creating and maximising shareholder value, often implicitly stated by regulators and advisors, may be misleading.

The purpose of this article is to assess the impact of female board representation on financial performance in Southeast Asia. To compare the presence of women, three proxies are used: the percentage of women, the Blau Index, and the Shannon Index. The samples for five-year intervals (2017-2021) include 249 Southeast Asian enterprises and 1,245 observations. The Fixed Effect Model results show that, based on all three proxies, women's board participation leads to lower financial performance, which contradicts the Agency and Resource Dependence Theories. This document serves as a resource for regulators and stakeholders in developing effective and proper corporate governance, particularly in board compositions that need a proportion of women in Southeast Asia. The conclusions of this study may be impacted. 

Extensive research has been dedicated to the study of women on boards, revealing a gradual improvement in the actual representation of women as directors on firm boards. This paper presents a comprehensive critical theory framework that combines talent management with corporate governance, human resources, and gender theories to elucidate the underrepresentation of women on corporate boards. This conceptual study, conducted through theoretical literature analysis, identifies a knowledge gap in the limited attention given to studies on the talent of women serving on boards. The purpose of this essay was to explain the sluggish progress of female directors on boards globally, despite the implementation of different laws and the evident business rationale for enhancing women's presence on boards. This study incorporates divergent and unanimous critical analyses of women on boards research, which either facilitates or impedes the advancement of women to executive positions. The primary discoveries of this study enhance the existing information by pinpointing several obstacles that contribute to the underrepresentation of women on corporate boards. These problems stem from structural factors inside organizations, individual psychological factors, and societal preconceptions. These theoretical perspectives identify obstacles and biases in the process of recruiting, developing, and retaining women directors. The implementation of a suitable talent management solution can address these issues.

Countries’ policy changes on improvement of female representation in board is in the spotlight of many researchers. In this paper studies current literature in board diversity, not specifically in gender but also ethnic, educational and cultural diversities, has been examined through their methodologies and findings. This study provides a summary of empirical findings of necessary papers in this field and try to assist researchers who are interested in this issue during their preliminary research.

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of gender stereotypes on the effectiveness of women senior managers in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Nakuru County, Kenya. A descriptive survey design was used and the target population was the human resource managers and women senior managers in 65 duly registered and active NGOs in Nakuru County. From these organizations, simple random sampling was used to select a human resource manager and a woman senior manager which resulted in 130 respondents. Primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire which had close-ended and open-ended questions while secondary data was collected through the use of document analysis. Quantitative data was sorted, cleaned and analyzed through the SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were analyzed through the use of frequencies and percentages while inferential statistics were analyzed through the use of Pearson Correlation and Pearson Chi-Square tests. The findings of the analysis were presented in form of tables and charts. On the other hand, qualitative data were analyzed thematically and the results were presented in the form of narratives. The study adhered to and ensured that research ethics were upheld. The study found out that gender stereotypes had a statistically significant negative relationship with the effectiveness of women senior managers (r= -0.342; p<0.05). The Chi-square test results indicated that gender stereotypes had a statistically significant association with the effectiveness of women senior managers. The recommendation made was that a similar study can be conducted to provide both the perspectives of men and women senior managers.