Female Representation and Leadership: An Exploratory Bibliometric Analysis of a Selected WoS-Indexed Sample

Ema Mikulášová; Zuzana Skorková

doi:10.2478/acc-2026-0009

.blurhash-client-img { display: none !important; }

Female Representation and Leadership: An Exploratory Bibliometric Analysis of a Selected WoS-Indexed Sample

ACC JOURNAL

Volume 32 (2026): Issue 2 (March 2026)

By: Ema Mikulášová and Zuzana Skorková

Open Access

|Oct 2026

Abstract

This study provides an exploratory bibliometric overview of 119 English-language journal articles indexed in Web of Science (WoS) between 1999 and 2025 addressing female representation, women’s leadership, glass-ceiling barriers, and related governance and decision-making contexts. Using the R package bibliometrix and its Biblioshiny interface, the study examines annual production, global citation impact, author-level indicators, and Keywords Plus co-occurrence. Publication activity increased particularly after 2016. Citation impact was strongly right-skewed, with a mean of 33.52 and a median of 7 citations, while the ten most cited articles accounted for 69.12% of all citations. The findings apply only to the selected WoS-indexed sample.

References

Alkhawaja, A., Hu, F., Johl, S., & Nadarajah, S. (2023). Board gender diversity, quotas, and ESG disclosure: Global evidence. International Review of Financial Analysis, 90, 102823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102823
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Bertrand, M., Black, S. E., Jensen, S., & Lleras-Muney, A. (2019). Breaking the Glass Ceiling? The Effect of Board Quotas on Female Labour Market Outcomes in Norway. The Review of Economic Studies, 86(1), 191–239. https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdy032
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Burgess, Z., & Tharenou, P. (2002). Women Board Directors: Characteristics of the Few. Journal of Business Ethics, 37, 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014726001155
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Cohen, P. N., & Huffman, M. L. (2007). Working for the Woman? Female Managers and the Gender Wage Gap. American Sociological Review, 72(5), 681–704. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240707200502
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Daily, C. M., Certo, S. T., & Dalton, D. R. (1999). A decade of corporate women: some progress in the boardroom, none in the executive suite. Strategic Management Journal, 20(1), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199901)20:1<93::AID-SMJ18>3.0.CO;2-7
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Datta, S., Doan, T., & Toscano, F. (2021). Top executive gender, board gender diversity, and financing decisions: Evidence from debt structure choice. Journal of Banking & Finance, 125, 106070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2021.106070
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Dreher, G. F. (2003). Breaking the Glass Ceiling: The Effects of Sex Ratios and Work-Life Programs on Female Leadership at the Top. Human Relations, 56(5), 541–562. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726703056005002
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Gaio, L. E., Lucas, A. C., Poker Junior, J. H., & Belli, M. M. (2024). Gender diversity in management and corporate financial performance: A systematic literature review. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(5), 4047–4067. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2793
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Gharios, R., Awad, A. B., Abu Khalaf, B., & Seissian, L. A. (2024). The impact of board gender diversity on European firms’ performance: The moderating role of liquidity. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 17(8), 359. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm17080359
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Hazaea, S. A., Al-Matari, E. M., Farhan, N. H. S., & Zhu, J. (2023). The impact of board gender diversity on financial performance: a systematic review and agenda for future research. Corporate Governance, 23(7), 1716–1747. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-07-2022-0302
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ho, S. S. M., Li, A. Y., Tam, K., & Zhang, F. (2015). CEO Gender, Ethical Leadership, and Accounting Conservatism. Journal of Business Ethics, 127, 351–370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-2044-0
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Hoogendoorn, S., Oosterbeek, H., & van Praag, M. (2013). The Impact of Gender Diversity on the Performance of Business Teams: Evidence from a Field Experiment. Management Science, 59(7), 1514–1528. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1120.1674
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Hussain, S. M., Ahmad, N., Fazal, F., & Menegaki, A. N. (2024). The impact of female directorship on firm performance: a systematic literature review. Review of Managerial Science, 18, 913–939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-023-00677-2
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Laique, U., Abdullah, F., Rehman, I. U., & Sergi, B. S. (2023). Two decades of research on board gender diversity and financial outcomes: Mapping heterogeneity and future research agenda. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 30(5), 2121–2144. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2510
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Liu, Y., Lei, L., & Buttner, E. H. (2020). Establishing the boundary conditions for female board directors’ influence on firm performance through CSR. Journal of Business Research, 121, 112–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.08.026
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Mikulášová, E. (2026). Bibliographic Metadata of the 119 Articles Included in the Selected WoS-Indexed Sample, Mendeley Data, V1. https://doi.org/10.17632/bv4c3sfgjh.1
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Mikulášová, E., & Skorková, Z. (2025). Gender Equality and Innovation in Slovak Organizations: Insights from Survey Data and a Bibliometric Analysis. In M. Tóth, D. Pallérová, P. Pajonk, & K. Drugda (Eds.), Current Trends in Business Administration 2025 (pp. 51–60). Vydavateľstvo EKONÓM, Ekonomická univerzita v Bratislave. ISBN 978-80-225-5230-1. https://fpm.euba.sk/www_write/files/veda-vyskum/zbornikyfakultne/KPH_ZVP_Novy%CC%81_Tekov_2025_1.pdf
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Nekhili, M., & Gatfaoui, H. (2013). Are Demographic Attributes and Firm Characteristics Drivers of Gender Diversity? Investigating Women’s Positions on French Boards of Directors. Journal of Business Ethics, 118, 227–249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1576-z
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ng, E. S., & Sears, G. J. (2017). The glass ceiling in context: the influence of CEO gender, recruitment practices and firm internationalisation on the representation of women in management. Human Resource Management Journal, 27, 133–151. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12135
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Oliver, A. G., Krause, R., Busenbark, J. R., & Kalm, M. (2017). BS in the boardroom: Benevolent sexism and board chair orientations. Strategic Management Journal, 39, 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2698
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Pham, T.-M., Rizov, M., & Vo, X. V. (2025). Board Gender Diversity and Firm Performance in an Emerging Economy: The Role of Women Directors’ Attributes. International Journal of Finance & Economics, 30(4), 4063–4081. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.3107
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Post, C., & Byron, K. (2015). Women on Boards and Firm Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis. Academy of Management Journal, 58(5), 1546–1571. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0319
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Sahu, M., Alahdal, W. M., Pandey, D. K., Baatwah, S. R., & Bajaher, M. S. (2025). Board gender diversity and firm performance: Unveiling the ESG effect. Sustainable Futures, 9, 100493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100493
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Senyo, P. K., Liu, K., & Effah, J. (2019). Digital business ecosystem: Literature review and a framework for future research. International Journal of Information Management, 47, 52–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.01.002
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Yang, Y., & Konrad, A. M. (2025). Effects of women on corporate boards: An integrative review from a political capital perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 36(1), 101841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2024.101841
Search in Google Scholar Back to article

Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/acc-2026-0009 | Journal eISSN: 2571-0613 | Journal ISSN: 1803-9782

Journal RSS Feed

Language: English

Page range: 35 - 52

Published on: Oct 13, 2026

Published by: Technical University of Liberec

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 3 issues per year

Keywords:

Women’s leadership,

Glass ceiling,

Gender diversity

Related subjects:

Business and economics,

Business management,

Business management, other,

Engineering,

Mechanical engineering,

Materials engineering,

Linguistics and semiotics,

Applied linguistics,

Applied linguistics, other,

Social sciences,

Education,

Education, other

© 2026 Ema Mikulášová, Zuzana Skorková, published by Technical University of Liberec
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License.

Volume 32 (2026): Issue 2 (March 2026)