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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.