Women’s Talent Development: Systematic Literature Review Towards a Conceptual Framework

Gender inequality, and vertical and horizontal gender segregation in the workplace are well-documented. Despite the increasing number of women in the labour market, their underrepresentation in senior roles suggests that their talent is underutilised and undervalued. This study aims to extend existing talent development (TD) literature by incorporating gendered mechanisms. It involves a systematic literature review (SLR) and critical analysis of 41 articles published between 2000 and 2025. The review indicates that women’s TD is a theoretically fragmented and nascent field with significant knowledge gaps. Drawing on General Systems Theory (GST), we make a novel contribution of a conceptual framework for women’s TD, which synthesises evidence to guide future research and advance theory development.