Global Trends In Women’s Leadership Research Across the Business Sector

Authors

  • Ainiyya Hana Pathi Seruni School of Business, IPB University, Jl. Raya Pajajaran, RT.03/RW.06, Babakan, Kecamatan Bogor Tengah, Kota Bogor, Jawa Barat 16128 image/svg+xml
  • Suhendi Suhendi School of Business, IPB University, Jl. Raya Pajajaran, RT.03/RW.06, Babakan, Kecamatan Bogor Tengah, Kota Bogor, Jawa Barat 16128 image/svg+xml
  • Raden Isma Anggraini School of Business, IPB University, Jl. Raya Pajajaran, RT.03/RW.06, Babakan, Kecamatan Bogor Tengah, Kota Bogor, Jawa Barat 16128 image/svg+xml

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21632/

Keywords:

Women’s Leadership, Glass Ceiling , Leadership Style , Gender Bias , Business Sector

Abstract

This study examined the global development of women’s leadership research in the business sector and explored the key barriers, leadership styles, and success factors influencing women leaders. A systematic literature review following the PRISMA guidelines was conducted, combined with bibliometric analysis to map research trends and thematic structures. The findings indicated a significant increase in publications over the past decade, with research emphasizing structural barriers such as the glass ceiling and gender bias. The Glass Ceiling and Gender Bias Theory are the most dominant theory. The results highlighted that women’s leadership in confronting the glass ceiling, including factors such as barriers to advancement, leadership style, facilitators of success, and strategies for breaking through the glass ceiling. Overall, women’s leadership was identified as a strategic factor in achieving organizational success and long-term competitiveness.

Author Biographies

Ainiyya Hana Pathi Seruni, School of Business, IPB University, Jl. Raya Pajajaran, RT.03/RW.06, Babakan, Kecamatan Bogor Tengah, Kota Bogor, Jawa Barat 16128

Ainiyya Hana Pathi Seruni, S.Bns. is a graduate in business studies from IPB University, Indonesia. Her academic background is in business and management.

Her research focuses on gender perspectives in business leadership, particularly in understanding the role of women in organizational and business development. She is actively involved in academic research and has contributed to studies related to business and managemen

Suhendi Suhendi, School of Business, IPB University, Jl. Raya Pajajaran, RT.03/RW.06, Babakan, Kecamatan Bogor Tengah, Kota Bogor, Jawa Barat 16128

Dr. Suhendi is a lecturer at the School of Business, IPB University, Indonesia. He is affiliated with the Department of Management and Business and actively contributes to academic research and publication in the field of management. His research interests include knowledge management, organizational learning, and business performance, particularly in the context of management and business development. He has been involved in business strategy, leadership, and sustainable development, particularly in the context of business sectors. In addition to his research activities, he also contributes to academic services, including involvement in editorial and academic publication activities at IPB University.

Raden Isma Anggraini, School of Business, IPB University, Jl. Raya Pajajaran, RT.03/RW.06, Babakan, Kecamatan Bogor Tengah, Kota Bogor, Jawa Barat 16128

Dr. Raden Isma Anggraini is a lecturer at the School of Business, IPB University, Indonesia. She obtained her Doctoral degree from IPB University in 2025, after completing her Master’s degree in Management in 2016 and a Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness Management in 2004.

Her research interests include human capital, knowledge management, and intellectual capital, with a particular focus on their roles in business performance and sustainable development. She has contributed to various academic publications, including studies on intellectual capital and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), employing bibliometric and strategic management approaches.

She is actively engaged in research and academic development in the fields of management and business.

References

Chigudu, D. (2021). Breaking The Glass Ceiling For Sustainable Development: Women Leadership In Zimbabwe. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 20(2), 1–15.

Cimirotić, R., Verena Duller, Birgit Feldbauer, Gärtner, B., & Hiebl, M. R. W. (2017). Enabling factors that contribute to women reaching leadership positions in business organizations : The case of management accountants. Management Research Review.

Coleman, M. (2019). Women leaders in the workplace : perceptions of career barriers , facilitators and change. Irish Educational Studies, 0(0), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2019.1697952

Dabu, P. (2025). Agar Bisa Berkontribusi pada Pertumbuhan 8%, Menkes Dorong Investasi Swasta pada Sektor Kesehatan. The Iconomics. https://www.theiconomics.com/art-of-execution/agar-bisa-berkontribusi-pada-pertumbuhan-8-menkes-dorong-investasi-swasta-pada-sektor-kesehatan/

DePasse, J., Kowalick, A., Kuri, P., Mulcahy, E., Russell, M. S., & Taylor, N. (2025). Elevating Women in Health Care-All the Way to CEO. Boston Consulting Group. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/elevating-women-in-health-care

Eshraghi, S. Z. (2025). Glass Ceiling Among Female Prosthetists & Orthotists: Perceptions, Opportunities And Strategies For Moving Forward. Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal., 8(1), 0–13. https://doi.org/Https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v8i1.44720

Gandidze, R. F. (2025). Precarious Progress : Women and Work in Zimbabwe ’ s Business Process Outsourcing Industry.

Irshad, S., Aamir, R., & Khan, A. (2026). Breaking the Glass Ceiling : The Role of Organizational Identity , Gender Self-Efficacy , and Stereotypes in Women ’ s Rise to Leadership Positions. Gender Issues.

Iva Dragisevic, & Mihic, M. (2020). Women Leadership in Public Sector – Evidence from Serbia. Lex Localis - Journal of Local Self Government, 18(2), 253–270. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4335/18.2.253-270(2020)

Kitchenham, B. (2004). Procedures for Performing Systematic Reviews. Empirical Software Engineering, 33(2004), 1–26.

Kuschel, K. (2018). Opening the “ Black Box ”. Factors Affecting Women ’ s Journey to Top Management Positions : A Framework Applied to Chile. Administrative Science, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci8040063

Marks, A. (2024). Women in the Boardroom: A global perspective. In Deloitte Global (Vol. 369, Issue 8345). Deloitte Global.

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses: the PRISMA Statement. 3(2).

Naseviciute, L., & Juceviciene, R. (2026). Overcoming the barriers to women ’ s career in

International Research journal of Business Studies

20

information and communication technology business. 43(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-09-2022-0265

Ngelambong, A., Wong, S. F., Wiarti, L. Y., & Islam, R. (2025). Unveiling women ’ s leadership traits in Southeast Asia ’ s hospitality and tourism sector : Perceptions of undergraduate female students. 15(2), 64–81.

Pérez, M. S., Ledo, P. P., & Sánchez, R. S. (2025). Innovation-oriented approach in the Valencian agricultural sector : A gender-based analysis. Revista OBETS, 20, 141–168. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14198/obets.27223

Srivastava, A. (2015). Managing the women managers : a case study of paper bag makers. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-02-2014-0047

Syed, J., & Murray, P. A. (2008). A cultural feminist approach towards managing diversity in top management teams. Equal Opportunities International, 27(5), 413–432. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610150810882288

Tanjung, S. F., Rusadi, N. A., Puteri, K. R., & Alif, M. I. (2025). Analisis Kepemimpinan Perempuan di Indonesia Menggunakan Metode Bibliometrik. Manajemen Dan Bisnis, 7(1), 85–95. https://doi.org/10.30743/jmb.v7i1.10538

Wiradanti, B., Rachmaputri, R. I., & Rosdiana, R. (2024). Empowering Indonesian Women in the Port Industry : Initiatives by Mutiara Pelindo in 2022 to 2024. The 24th International Conference on Marine Technology (SENTA 2024). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1461/1/012052

World Economic Forum. (2024). Global Gender Gap Index 2024. In World Economic Forum (Issue June). http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=87833066&site=ehost-live

Downloads

Submitted

04/14/2026

Accepted

07/28/2026

Published

08/31/2026

How to Cite

Pathi Seruni, A. H., Suhendi, S., & Anggraini, R. I. (2026). Global Trends In Women’s Leadership Research Across the Business Sector. International Research Journal of Business Studies, 19(2), in press. https://doi.org/10.21632/

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 2 (2026): August-November 2026

Section

Articles

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Ainiyya Hana Pathi Seruni, Suhendi Suhendi, Raden Isma Anggraini (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Journal Author(s) Rights

For IRJBS to publish and disseminate research articles, we need publishing rights (transferred from the author(s) to the publisher). This is determined by a publishing agreement between the Author(s) and IRJBS. This agreement deals with the transfer or license of the copyright of publishing to IRJBS, while Authors still retain significant rights to use and share their own published articles. IRJBS supports the need for authors to share, disseminate and maximize the impact of their research and these rights, in any databases.

As a journal Author, you have rights to many uses of your article, including use by your employing institute or company. These Author rights can be exercised without the need to obtain specific permission. Authors publishing in IRJBS journals have comprehensive rights to use their works for teaching and scholarly purposes without needing to seek permission, including:

  • use for classroom teaching by Author or Author's institution and presentation at a meeting or conference and distributing copies to attendees; 
  • use for internal training by the author's company; 
  • distribution to colleagues for their research use; 
  • use in a subsequent compilation of the author's works; 
  • inclusion in a thesis or dissertation; 
  • reuse of portions or extracts from the article in other works (with full acknowledgment of the final article); 
  • preparation of derivative works (other than commercial purposes) (with full acknowledgment of the final article); 
  • voluntary posting on open websites operated by the author or the author’s institution for scholarly purposes, 

(But it should follow the open access license of Creative Common CC-by-SA License).

Authors/Readers/Third Parties can copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, as well as remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. Still, they must give appropriate credit (the name of the creator and attribution parties (authors' detail information), a copyright notice, an open access license notice, a disclaimer notice, and a link to the material), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made (Publisher indicates the modification of the material (if any) and retain an indication of previous modifications.

Authors/Readers/Third Parties can read, print and download, redistribute or republish the article (e.g. display in a repository), translate the article, download for text and data mining purposes, reuse portions or extracts from the article in other works, sell or re-use for commercial purposes, remix, transform, or build upon the material, they must distribute their contributions under the same license as the original Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA).

 
 

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Pathi Seruni, A. H., Suhendi, S., & Anggraini, R. I. (2026). Global Trends In Women’s Leadership Research Across the Business Sector. International Research Journal of Business Studies, 19(2), in press. https://doi.org/10.21632/