Women Leadership in Educational Institutions: A Systematic Literature Review

Women’s leadership in educational institutions is a crucial issue in contemporary leadership discourse, particularly regarding demands for inclusivity, social justice, and improving the quality of education. Although women dominate the teaching profession, their representation in strategic leadership positions remains limited due to structural, cultural, and psychological barriers. This study aims to analyze the patterns of women’s leadership in educational institutions, identify the challenges faced, the factors supporting women’s leadership career success, and their impact on educational outcomes and organizational culture. The study used the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method with reference to the PRISMA procedure. Data sources came from reputable scientific articles indexed by scopus and crossref for the period 2015–2025, with a total of 43 articles analyzed. The results of the study indicate that women’s leadership is pluralistic and contextual, with tendencies toward transformational-feminist, relational-collaborative, intersectional, reflective-resilient, and adaptive leadership. The main barriers include patriarchal organizational culture, gender stereotypes, structural discrimination, limited professional networks, and domestic role conflict. Factors contributing to women’s leadership success include mentoring and sponsorship support, psychological resilience, professional capital, family support, and inclusive institutional policies. The reviewed studies, which are predominantly qualitative and conceptual, suggest that women’s leadership may contribute to learning quality, educational innovation, organizational equity, and institutional resilience, although the evidence varies in strength and does not establish causal effects.