Call for papers. Retos No. 32 (October 2026)

2026-01-09

Female Leadership in Management and Bussiness Performance

Walesska Schlesinger

University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5492-2631

Alicia Mas

University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8759-4176

Lara Mendes Christ Bonella Sepulcri

Fucape Business School, Brasil, Vitória

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2706-6125

In recent decades, female leadership has acquired a prominent role in the evolution of organizational management models on a global scale (De Nmark, 1993; Proff & Musalam, 2025). In scenarios marked by internationalization, competitive dynamics, and the need for more adaptive management structures, the participation of women in executive positions is proposed as a relevant variable for the analysis of organizational performance, strategic decision-making, and institutional sustainability (Derks, Van Laar & Ellemers, 2016; Orozco Collazos & Botero, 2024). More than an emerging phenomenon, female leadership represents a structural component in the review of management styles, decision-making schemes, and authority configurations within organizations (Singh, Das & Jha, 2023; Srivastava & Nalawade, 2023). Its advancement raises relevant questions for the design of talent management policies, performance evaluation in diverse teams, and the definition of strategies that allow for effective participation of female leadership at different organizational levels and productive sectors (Fine, 2009; Singh, Das & Jha, 2023).

The objective of this special issue is to examine the impact of female leadership on organizational management and the economic performance of public, private, and non-profit organizations. The call is addressed to empirical research that approaches this theme from quantitative perspectives, with rigorous methodological designs, representative samples, and robust statistical analyses. Priority will be given to studies focused on decision-making processes, governance structures, productivity and efficiency indicators, as well as executive behavior at different hierarchical levels, under analytical frameworks specific to strategic administration, organizational economics, and talent management (Koburtay, Abuhussein & Sidani, 2023; Maheshwari, Nayak & Ngyyen, 2021; Oktaviani, 2024).

Academics and researchers are invited to present original contributions that analyze female leadership from empirical perspectives, with an emphasis on comparative studies and quantitative methodologies. Works addressing, among others, the following thematic axes will be considered:

• Emerging technologies and female leadership in organizational digital transformation processes.

• Structural inequalities in women's access to executive positions, organizational measurement, and comparative analysis.

• Female leadership strategies in multicultural organizational contexts, comparative analysis, and institutional performance.

• Management models with a gender perspective applied to organizational analysis and institutional efficiency.

• Impact evaluation of public and institutional policies oriented toward strengthening female leadership in organizational environments.

• Relationship between female leadership and organizational sustainability indicators and corporate social responsibility.

• Female entrepreneurship and its articulation with international collaboration networks in productive contexts.

• Female leadership in strategic marketing areas and its organizational impact.

Proposals are invited that provide empirical evidence and academic reflection on female leadership in organizational management, considering its impact on strategic decision-making, human talent administration, and economic and financial results in different institutional sectors.

In this line, Retos: Revista de Ciencias de la Administración y Economía especially values empirical works based on representative samples and solid statistical models. It is expected that these contributions offer insights into the central theme of the special issue, strengthening the academic debate and the development of knowledge in the field.

Deadline: june 30, 2026.

Publication date: october 1, 2026.

References

De Nmark, F. L. (1993). Women, leadership, and empowerment. Psychology of women quarterly, 17(3), 343-356.

Derks, B., Van Laar, C., & Ellemers, N. (2016). The queen bee phenomenon: Why women leaders distance themselves from junior women. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(3), 456-469.

Fine, M. G. (2009). Women leaders' discursive constructions of leadership. Women's studies in communication, 32(2), 180-202.

Orozco Collazos, L. E., & Botero, I. C. (2024). Women ownership as a form of leadership: The role of context in understanding its effects on financial performance. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 27(1), 57-72.

Koburtay, T., Abuhussein, T., & Sidani, Y. M. (2023). Women leadership, culture, and Islam: Female voices from Jordan. Journal of Business Ethics, 183(2), 347-363.

Maheshwari, G., Nayak, R., & Ngyyen, T. (2021). Review of research for two decades for women leadership in higher education around the world and in Vietnam: a comparative analysis. Gender in management: an international journal, 36(5), 640-658.

Oktaviani, F. H. (2024). Indonesian women leaders navigating hegemonic femininity: A Gramscian lens. Gender, Work & Organization, 31(2), 472-493.

Proff, A., & Musalam, R. M. (2025). Women who lead: societal influences of attitudes toward women and women leadership. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 40(3), 407-427.

Singh, A., Das, S., & Jha, S. (2023). Women leadership and emotions: Knowledge structure and future research opportunities. European Management Journal, 41(6), 864-882.

Srivastava, N., & Nalawade, R. (2023). Glass ceiling to sticky floor: Analogies of women leadership. International Journal of Professional Business Review: Int. J. Prof. Bus. Rev., 8(4), 20.