Gendered Leadership in Organizations: Men and Women

This study conceptualizes gender inequality in leadership careers as the result of asymmetric forces embedded within organizational environments. The tailwind–headwind framework brings together cultural norms, organizational structures, and psychological responses to explain how the same institutional processes can generate systematically different career trajectories for men and women. By showing how cultural assumptions about leadership become institutionalized through organizational systems and internalized as personal experiences, the framework offers a clear and coherent explanation for the persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership roles.