Gender Equality and Ethical Leadership as Catalysts for Sustainable Organizational Performance
Year 2025,
Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 213 - 222, 29.10.2025
Cemile Şeker
,
Deniz Çınar
Abstract
This study examines the complementary roles of gender equality, sustainable performance, and ethical leadership in today’s business world. The main aim is to explore the impact of gender discrimination on sustainable performance processes and leadership practices in the workplace. In particular, it highlights how barriers that prevent women from accessing leadership positions negatively affect organizational structures aligned with sustainable performance. While there is existing research on gender inequality and ethical leadership, studies that deeply investigate their connection with sustainable performance are limited. This gap serves as the primary motivation for the study. Another objective is to provide a deeper understanding of how ethical leadership and gender equality can be more effectively implemented to achieve sustainable performance goals. The elimination of gender discrimination is emphasized not only as an ethical necessity but also as a key factor for sustainable success. A comprehensive literature review has been used as the research method, drawing on up-to-date and credible sources from major academic databases to support the analysis.
Ethical Statement
I declare that there is no conflict of interest among the authors in this study and that all academic ethical principles have been observed.
References
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Bilen-Green, C., Froelich, K. A., & Jacobson, S. W. (2008). The prevalence of women in academic leadership positions, and potential impact on prevalence of women in the professorial ranks. Women in Engineering ProActive Network.
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Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595–616.
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Campopiano, G., Gabaldón, P., & Gimenez-Jimenez, D. (2023). Women directors and corporate social performance: An integrative review of the literature and a future research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics, 182(3), 717–746.
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Dyllick, T., & Hockerts, K. (2002). Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability. Business Strategy and the Environment, 11(2), 130–141.
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Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become leaders (Vol. 11). Harvard Business School Press.
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Eccles, R. G., Ioannou, I., & Serafeim, G. (2014). The impact of corporate sustainability on organizational processes and performance. Management Science, 60(11), 2835–2857.
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Elkington, J., & Rowlands, I. H. (1999). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. Alternatives Journal, 25(4), 42.
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Glass, C., Cook, A., & Ingersoll, A. R. (2016). Do women leaders promote sustainability? Analyzing the effect of corporate governance composition on environmental performance. Business Strategy and the Environment, 25(7), 495–511.
-
Heilman, M. E. (2012). Gender stereotypes and workplace bias. Research in Organizational Behavior, 32, 113–135.
Ho, S. S., Li, A. Y., Tam, K., & Zhang, F. (2015). CEO gender, ethical leadership, and accounting conservatism.
-
Journal of Business Ethics, 127, 351–370.
-
Kalshoven, K., Den Hartog, D. N., & De Hoogh, A. H. (2011). Ethical leadership at work questionnaire (ELW): Development and validation of a multidimensional measure. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(1), 51–69.
-
Kim, M. S., & Thapa, B. (2018). Relationship of ethical leadership, corporate social responsibility and organizational performance. Sustainability, 10(2), 447.
-
Kiron, D., Unruh, G., Reeves, M., Kruschwitz, N., Rubel, H., & ZumFelde, A. M. (2017). Corporate sustainability at a crossroads. MIT Sloan Management Review, 58(4).
-
Miotto, G., Polo López, M., & Rom Rodriguez, J. (2019). Gender equality and UN sustainable development goals: Priorities and correlations in the top business schools’ communication and legitimation strategies. Sustainability, 11(2), 302.
-
Morrison, A. M., White, R. P., & Van Velsor, E. (1987). Breaking the glass ceiling: Can women reach the top of America's largest corporations? Pearson Education.
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Neubert, M. J., Wu, C., & Roberts, J. A. (2013). The influence of ethical leadership and regulatory focus on employee outcomes. Business Ethics Quarterly, 23(2), 269–296.
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Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage Publications.
Okoli, C., & Schabram, K. (2015). A guide to conducting a systematic literature review of information systems research. Working Paper.
-
Park, C. H., Kim, W., & Song, J. H. (2015). The impact of ethical leadership on employees’ in‐role performance: The mediating effect of employees’ psychological ownership. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 26(4), 385–408.
-
Resick, C. J., Hanges, P. J., Dickson, M. W., & Mitchelson, J. K. (2006). A cross-cultural examination of the endorsement of ethical leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 63(4), 345–359.
-
Romano, M., Cirillo, A., Favino, C., & Netti, A. (2020). ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance and board gender diversity: The moderating role of CEO duality. Sustainability, 12(21), 9298.
-
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339.
-
Stamarski, C. S., & Son Hing, L. S. (2015). Gender inequalities in the workplace: The effects of organizational structures, processes, practices, and decision makers’ sexism. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1400.
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Şeker, C. (2025). Ethical leadership and Generation Alpha guiding strategies for a greener future. In Generation Alpha and next generation leadership for greener futures (pp. 23–40). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
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Webster, J., & Watson, R. T. (2002). Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review. MIS Quarterly, 26(2), xiii–xxiii.
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Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Pearson.
Sürdürülebilir Örgütsel Performans İçin Katalizörler Olarak Cinsiyet Eşitliği ve Etik Liderlik
Year 2025,
Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 213 - 222, 29.10.2025
Cemile Şeker
,
Deniz Çınar
Abstract
Bu çalışma, cinsiyet eşitliği, sürdürülebilir performans ve etik liderliğin iş dünyasındaki tamamlayıcı rollerini incelemektedir. Araştırmanın temel amacı, iş yerindeki cinsiyet ayrımcılığının sürdürülebilir performans süreçleri ve liderlik uygulamaları üzerindeki etkisini ortaya koymaktır. Özellikle kadınların liderlik pozisyonlarına erişimini engelleyen unsurların, sürdürülebilir performansla uyumlu örgütsel yapılar üzerindeki olumsuz etkileri vurgulanmaktadır. Literatürde cinsiyet eşitsizliği ve etik liderliğe dair çalışmalar bulunmasına rağmen, bu değişkenlerin sürdürülebilir performansla olan ilişkisini derinlemesine ele alan çalışmalar sınırlıdır. Bu boşluk, çalışmanın temel motivasyon kaynağını oluşturmaktadır. Ayrıca, etik liderlik ve cinsiyet eşitliğinin sürdürülebilir performans hedeflerine ulaşmadaki rolünü daha etkin şekilde açıklamak da çalışmanın hedefleri arasındadır. Araştırmada yöntem olarak kapsamlı bir literatür taraması kullanılmış ve güvenilir veri tabanlarından güncel kaynaklar incelenmiştir.
Ethical Statement
Bu çalışmada yazarlar arasında bir çıkar çatışması olmadığını ve akademik etik değerlere uygun davranıldığı beyan ederim.
References
-
Bilen-Green, C., Froelich, K. A., & Jacobson, S. W. (2008). The prevalence of women in academic leadership positions, and potential impact on prevalence of women in the professorial ranks. Women in Engineering ProActive Network.
-
Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595–616.
-
Campopiano, G., Gabaldón, P., & Gimenez-Jimenez, D. (2023). Women directors and corporate social performance: An integrative review of the literature and a future research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics, 182(3), 717–746.
-
Dyllick, T., & Hockerts, K. (2002). Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability. Business Strategy and the Environment, 11(2), 130–141.
-
Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become leaders (Vol. 11). Harvard Business School Press.
-
Eccles, R. G., Ioannou, I., & Serafeim, G. (2014). The impact of corporate sustainability on organizational processes and performance. Management Science, 60(11), 2835–2857.
-
Elkington, J., & Rowlands, I. H. (1999). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. Alternatives Journal, 25(4), 42.
-
Glass, C., Cook, A., & Ingersoll, A. R. (2016). Do women leaders promote sustainability? Analyzing the effect of corporate governance composition on environmental performance. Business Strategy and the Environment, 25(7), 495–511.
-
Heilman, M. E. (2012). Gender stereotypes and workplace bias. Research in Organizational Behavior, 32, 113–135.
Ho, S. S., Li, A. Y., Tam, K., & Zhang, F. (2015). CEO gender, ethical leadership, and accounting conservatism.
-
Journal of Business Ethics, 127, 351–370.
-
Kalshoven, K., Den Hartog, D. N., & De Hoogh, A. H. (2011). Ethical leadership at work questionnaire (ELW): Development and validation of a multidimensional measure. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(1), 51–69.
-
Kim, M. S., & Thapa, B. (2018). Relationship of ethical leadership, corporate social responsibility and organizational performance. Sustainability, 10(2), 447.
-
Kiron, D., Unruh, G., Reeves, M., Kruschwitz, N., Rubel, H., & ZumFelde, A. M. (2017). Corporate sustainability at a crossroads. MIT Sloan Management Review, 58(4).
-
Miotto, G., Polo López, M., & Rom Rodriguez, J. (2019). Gender equality and UN sustainable development goals: Priorities and correlations in the top business schools’ communication and legitimation strategies. Sustainability, 11(2), 302.
-
Morrison, A. M., White, R. P., & Van Velsor, E. (1987). Breaking the glass ceiling: Can women reach the top of America's largest corporations? Pearson Education.
-
Neubert, M. J., Wu, C., & Roberts, J. A. (2013). The influence of ethical leadership and regulatory focus on employee outcomes. Business Ethics Quarterly, 23(2), 269–296.
-
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage Publications.
Okoli, C., & Schabram, K. (2015). A guide to conducting a systematic literature review of information systems research. Working Paper.
-
Park, C. H., Kim, W., & Song, J. H. (2015). The impact of ethical leadership on employees’ in‐role performance: The mediating effect of employees’ psychological ownership. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 26(4), 385–408.
-
Resick, C. J., Hanges, P. J., Dickson, M. W., & Mitchelson, J. K. (2006). A cross-cultural examination of the endorsement of ethical leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 63(4), 345–359.
-
Romano, M., Cirillo, A., Favino, C., & Netti, A. (2020). ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance and board gender diversity: The moderating role of CEO duality. Sustainability, 12(21), 9298.
-
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339.
-
Stamarski, C. S., & Son Hing, L. S. (2015). Gender inequalities in the workplace: The effects of organizational structures, processes, practices, and decision makers’ sexism. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1400.
-
Şeker, C. (2025). Ethical leadership and Generation Alpha guiding strategies for a greener future. In Generation Alpha and next generation leadership for greener futures (pp. 23–40). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
-
Webster, J., & Watson, R. T. (2002). Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review. MIS Quarterly, 26(2), xiii–xxiii.
-
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Pearson.