Explore publications.

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.

Internationally, the issue of gender equality in higher education has been a serious challenge, particularly in leadership roles. This issue has spread to African countries, including South Africa. Despite the implementation and adaptation of gender equity policies, such as the Employment Equity Act of 1998, women remain underrepresented in both support and academic leadership roles within South African institutions of higher education. Studies have been conducted in this area focusing on examining structural barriers, policy gaps, and gender representation. Still, few have synthesised women’s personal narratives across multiple sources using secondary qualitative data. This current paper exists to address that gap. It further revisits the concept of the glass ceiling by unpacking women's lived experiences of career progression across the sector in recent years. It uses a qualitative approach and relies on secondary data to examine how women experience and respond to institutional barriers. The data were analysed narratively to highlight personal stories, identities, and meaning-making processes of women navigating leadership. The paper found that women in higher education are skilled and committed, but they remain constrained by outdated institutional systems that offer symbolic inclusion and limited support, thereby preventing genuine access to leadership roles. Despite this invisible glass ceiling, women remain strong and resilient, living the meaning of “wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo.” (A woman is a rock), they continue to push forward and lead even when the higher education system fails them. Therefore, it recommends that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) strengthen the enforcement of gender equity policies through regular gender audits, leadership development programmes, and accountability mechanisms to promote authentic empowerment and sustainable transformation.

Despite efforts made by the government and organizations with the intent of improving gender equality and promoting women’s participation at the highest levels of management within the financial sector and other male-dominated industries, women still lag significantly. This issue persists despite the prevalence of biases that affect their performance. This study examined the experience of female leaders working within the financial services sector of a South African organization with regards to the availability of access to mentoring and the glass ceiling phenomenon. A qualitative approach of research methodology was employed through the application of semi-structured interviews with an in-depth exploration of the opinions of nine female leaders. Themes were used to identify patterns that emerged with the application of this approach. The study results indicated that the female executives experience numerous difficulties that include inequality during the process of selecting employees, pay disparities between the female and male employees, lack of respect from their fellow workers or employees at their respective institutions of employment, as well as a lack of adequate mentoring programs. Women’s leadership journeys are affected by structural, cultural, and individual barriers. To foster the growth of female leaders, organizations should embrace solid gender equity initiative implementation and promote inclusive cultures at the workplace. This study’s results are useful in designing improved pathways of access and minimizing gender-related barriers within the male-dominated sector

Management appointments do not represent gender equality, even though men and women are given equal opportunity. Social conventions and laws have supported male-dominated workplaces. This qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual study used a phenomenological technique to examine women's management experiences in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa. The intended audience was managerial women. Purposive sampling, unstructured individual interviews, and inductive topic analysis were used. Trustworthiness was determined by credibility, transferability, reliability, and confirmability. Promoting autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice was ethical. This study found workplace gender bias, male resistance to female leadership, gender intimidation, and a non-supportive work atmosphere. These data may help create workplace recommendations for women in managerial roles.

This study employs a qualitative systematic literature review to examine the barriers and opportunities for women’s leadership in academia, with a particular focus on South African higher education. Secondary data were sourced from peer-reviewed journal articles, books, dissertations, and opinion pieces, ensuring a comprehensive analysis of existing research. A total of 130 studies were reviewed, with data collected and analysed using qualitative content and thematic analysis methods. The findings highlight persistent structural, cultural, and institutional barriers that hinder women's advancement in academic leadership. These include gender bias in recruitment and promotion, the absence of mentorship and support networks, challenges in achieving work-life balance, and the intersectionality of race and gender, which disproportionately affects Black women. Despite the progress made through gender equity policies, the slow pace of transformation within male-dominated academic institutions remains a significant obstacle. However, the study also identifies key opportunities for women in leadership, such as the implementation of gender equity initiatives, the strengthening of mentorship programmes, and the increasing recognition of diverse and inclusive leadership styles within universities. Institutional commitment to gender transformation, alongside global frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), presents a pathway for women to attain leadership positions. The study stresses the need for continued institutional reforms that challenge traditional gender norms, foster mentorship, and promote work-life balance policies to achieve sustainable gender equity in academic leadership.

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.

This research examines the ongoing under-representation of women in leadership positions within South African higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite a considerable increase in the number of women entering academia, their advancement to top leadership roles remained markedly constrained. This study analysed secondary data from forty scholarly articles published between 2010 and 2023 to investigate the intricate impediments obstructing women's advancement, the wider consequences of these challenges, and viable measures for enhancing gender parity in academic leadership. The results indicated that deep-rooted systemic and cultural obstacles, along with an absence of supportive legislation, sustained gender disparities within institutional hierarchies. Proposals for modification encompassed the establishment of explicit trajectories for women's professional advancement, gender-sensitive leadership training initiatives, mentorship programs to assist aspiring female leaders, and revisions to institutional regulations to foster diversity. The study emphasised the necessity for ongoing evaluation of gender equality policies and enhanced accountability mechanisms to guarantee continued advancement towards equitable representation in leadership.

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 relationship between board nationality diversity (BND) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) in developing countries. It also highlights the role of legitimacy concerns in investigating how foreign ownership moderates the connection between BND and ESG due to the increased liability of foreignness. Using a sample of listed firms in Johannesburg stock exchange (JSE) in South Africa over 2015–2020, our two-step system GMM findings show that board nationality diversity positively affects ESG. Moreover, our study found that foreign ownership strengthens the positive connection between BND and ESG. Our study contributes to the literature by highlighting the importance of legitimacy theory in the dynamic nexus between BND and ESG. The findings of this study have substantial implications for firms, investors, and stakeholders.

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.

The study looked at how the differences in gender and the social setting affect society's perceptions of women’s ability to communicate as leaders. Research shows how culture influences individual thinking, language, communication, and behaviour. The study indicated that gender construct influences individuals’ attitudes, emotions, and behaviours. The same is true for assigned positions in society depending on gender and leadership position. The problem identified cultural aspects of leadership that represent variations in gender norms and communication styles for women in leadership and elements linked to sexual distinction. This article, therefore, focuses on the problems that culture influences gender communication. The research adopted a qualitative approach, a systematic analysis of the literature of the baseline data collected, forming part of a randomised controlled sample collection. The findings indicate the persistent gender discrepancies in communication in several contexts, as women prefer to use more concrete vocabulary in several contexts, emphasising how people can achieve goals, including specifics, and using terms that are easy to imagine. It is no mystery that we are in a period of transformation, and attitudes about sex and gender leadership are changing, therefore, understanding the problems of sexual difference and women’s ability to communicate in leadership can be addressed by creating and strengthening an adequate framework with the condition of a mentality change.

The study examined the impact of the gender inequality gap in administration which serves as a interference to achieving sustainable social and economic development in Africa. The existence of gender differences has been overlooked in management and leadership research; hence it remains a reality that women are underrepresented in leading management positions in general on the ground, and particularly in leadership roles. The main question is if women’s call to occupy leadership positions is a complete reality or if it is purely a pursuit for political acceptability. Gender gaps in the workforce over the last two decades remained largely unaffected, notwithstanding the increased number of women who have acquired education. Qualitatively, data was primarily collected through secondary content. The need to improve the education systems in low and middle-income countries is recommended, as all countries can reap the benefit of optimizing their deployment of female-skilled professionals and leverage their talent.

This study seeks to determine whether gender diversity in the boardroom improves the financial performance of listed firms in Tanzania by examining theoretical and empirical findings and using 90 firm-year observations of 15 listed firms over six years from 2016–2021 from firms listed at the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE). Return on equity (ROE) and Return on asset (ROA) were used as financial performance metrics. This study uses a balanced panel data analysis. The results showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between the percentages of women directors on boards or in executive roles and the financial performance of listed firms in Tanzania as measured by ROA and ROE. The results are inconsistent with theories of agency and resource dependence. The study is restricted to a sample of listed firms from DSE in Tanzania. The scope of future studies should be expanded to include listed firms across the East African region and more explanatory variables such as the Blau index in measuring boardroom gender diversity.

In South Africa, the population composition reveals more females than males. However, the workforce participation data affirms a more male-dominated outlook. Such disparity between male and female workforce participation is especially evident in the law enforcement institutions like police departments. Although the prevailing laws have ensured access to employment opportunities, advancement in leadership roles by female police officers (FPOs) is found to be lacking. In this regard, this study examines the challenges faced by South African women in attaining leadership roles in policing. Furthermore, the study develops a leadership development framework for ensuring the advancement of women in policing. To accomplish this aim, the study acquired information from 8 male and 100 female police officers through questionnaire and interview methods, respectively. Queries were made to understand the experiences, challenges, and ways forward. Results elucidate that there is a lack of strategic policy in place that can ensure the advancement of women as leaders in the policing field in South Africa. Moreover, the overall outlook of male police officers is affected by stereotypical assumptions about females’ strengths and abilities.

South African and Australian higher education sector is facing challenges of fewer females in leadership positions despite policies in place in both countries. The main purpose of this integrative literature was to analyze and compare journal articles related to career development for female academics in South African and Australian higher education institutions to ascertain the challenges faced by women in both countries. South Africa and Australia were chosen for this study due to the differences in cultural background and legislation. Females are still underrepresented in leadership positions both in Australia and South Africa, hence this study investigated the reasons and provided recommendations to improve female academics representation in higher education institutions. A literature review of 15 research papers and journals articles published from 2010-to 2020 was conducted. The keywords “career development for female academics” were searched in three databases namely, Google Scholar, Ebsco-host and Emerald. The results from the literature showed that female career development in Australia is moving at a faster pace than in South Africa. The results also show that in both countries glass ceiling and limited female representation in leadership positions are rife in both countries. Female-only career development programs are essential to promote female development in higher education. As this study is focusing on two different countries on different continents, both countries have a lot to learn from each other in terms of policy implementations to enhance female career development. This article provides an analysis of the trends of female career development in South Africa and Australia. Therefore, from the existing literature for a period of 10 years, a conceptual career development model was developed.

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.

The objective of this study is to ex?mine the imp?ct of profit?bility ?nd feminism of bo?rd of directors on corpor?te sust?in?bility perform?nce. This study ?lso investig?tes the role of independent bo?rd in moder?ting the rel?tionship between profit?bility ?nd feminism of bo?rd of directors on corpor?te sust?in?bility perform?nce. The ?n?lysis of this study use moder?ted regression ?n?lysis with b?l?nced p?nel d?t?. The s?mple consists of 51 firms, b?sed on purposive s?mpling method. The results find th?t profit?bility ?nd feminism of bo?rd of directors h?ve neg?tive effect on corpor?te sust?in?bility perform?nce. The result ?lso shows th?t independent bo?rd moder?tes the rel?tionship between profit?bility ?nd feminism of bo?rd of directors on corpor?te sust?in?bility perform?nce.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of gender diversity on the financial performance of insurance firms in Kenya. The study analyzed data from the 55 insurance firms licensed by the Insurance Regularity Authority (IRA) in Kenya. Gender diversity was operationalized by the number of female directors serving on the boards of insurance firms operating in Kenya. Primary data was collected from a sample of 412 board directors, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Finance Officers (CFOs), Audit Committee members (AUDIND) and Internal Auditorsusing a questionnaire instrument while secondary data was retrieved from audited financial reports of the year 2017. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Firm performance was measured by the two accounting-based measures Return On Assets (ROA) and Return On Equity (ROE). The findings from the regression analysis indicate that gender diversity significantly and positively affects the financial performance of insurance firms in Kenya.

Individuals at the workplace have a lasting interest in how others perceive them and a core desire for others to assert and verify their salient work-related identities. Internal identity asymmetry is encountered when an individual feels misidentified; when they think their work-related identities are not recognized by their peers. This article based on previous literature about women leadership and their experience of Internal Identity at the workplace. Although there is no concrete theory to explain this concept accordingly in this article, we attempt to investigate the concept of internal identity asymmetry with related theories combined. Subsequently, we addressed how women get misidentified and deduce the consequences of experiences of Internal Identity Asymmetry at the workplace. The current study is a conceptual paper and therefore, contributes freshness to this existing literature by integrating the concept of internal Identity asymmetry and women leadership thus, the model can be empirically tested in future research.