Gender differences in leadership styles: insights from Basque Country enterprises

dc.contributor.authorDíez Ruiz, Fernando
dc.contributor.authorMoreno Cano, Antonia María
dc.contributor.authorSolabarrieta Eizaguirre, Josu
dc.contributor.authorIgoa Iraola, Elene
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-09T11:54:50Z
dc.date.available2026-03-09T11:54:50Z
dc.date.issued2025-03-11
dc.date.updated2026-03-09T11:54:50Z
dc.description.abstractPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze gender differences in leadership styles in Basque Country enterprises, identifying unique characteristics and specific barriers faced by female leaders compared to their male counterparts. Design/methodology/approach – The research involved a survey of 537 managers and middle managers from 31 large companies in the Basque Country, Spain. Participants provided data through a structured questionnaire, which included the MLQ-6S leadership test to assess leadership styles. Findings – Results indicate that while women are perceived to excel in several leadership qualities, they face significant barriers to reaching top management positions. Differences in leadership styles between men and women were minimal, though women were more likely to believe in the existence of these differences. The results emphasize the need for targeted interventions to support female leaders and promote gender diversity in leadership roles. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to large companies in a specific region of Spain, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Future research should consider a broader geographical scope and a more diverse range of organizational sizes. Originality/value – This research contributes to the understanding of gender dynamics in leadership by providing empirical evidence from a Spanish context, highlighting the perceptions and realities of female representation in management positions.en
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research has been funded by the Basque Government in the Call for Grants to support the activities of research groups of the Basque University System under project code IT1624-22en
dc.identifier.citationDíez, F., Moreno Cano, A., Solabarrieta, J., & Igoa-Iraola, E. (2025). Gender differences in leadership styles: insights from Basque Country enterprises. Corporate Governance (Bingley), 25(5), 1173-1187. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-05-2024-0311
dc.identifier.doi10.1108/CG-05-2024-0311
dc.identifier.issn1472-0701
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14454/5382
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherEmerald Publishing
dc.rights© Emerald Publishing Limited
dc.subject.otherFemale leadership
dc.subject.otherGender diversity
dc.subject.otherLeadership
dc.subject.otherOrganizational culture
dc.subject.otherWorkplace equality
dc.titleGender differences in leadership styles: insights from Basque Country enterprisesen
dc.typejournal article
dcterms.accessRightsmetadata only access
oaire.citation.endPage1187
oaire.citation.issue5
oaire.citation.startPage1173
oaire.citation.titleCorporate Governance (Bingley)
oaire.citation.volume25
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