Women’s Leadership Development through Higher Education

Abstract

This study investigates how higher education shapes women’s pathways to executive leadership positions, examining the role of educational interventions, role models, and organisational culture in supporting women’s leadership development and career advancement in contemporary professional contexts. A design-based research (DBR) methodology, integrated with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, was employed. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, participant journals, focus groups, and validated leadership assessments. An MBA Women’s Leadership course was developed and implemented across two iterative cycles with 45 participants. Statistically significant improvements were observed across all leadership dimensions (p<0.001, Cohen’s d=0.89-1.45). At six-month follow-up, 42.9% of participants received promotions, 59.5% gained new leadership opportunities, and 83.3% pursued additional professional development activities. Findings inform the design of leadership development programmes in higher education institutions, organisational diversity and inclusion initiatives, policy development for gender equity in leadership, and evidence-based approaches to women’s professional advancement in educational and corporate contexts. This research provides the first systematic integration of Design-Based Research with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis for women’s leadership development, offering both theoretical insights into leadership identity formation and practical intervention models for educational institutions.