Fostering Female Leadership Aspiration—Social Cognitive Career Theory Approach

Despite strong evidence that gender-diverse leadership improves organizational innovation and performance, women remain underrepresented in leadership pipelines worldwide, particularly in Asia. While prior research largely examines the outcomes of gender diversity at the firm level, far less is known about the psychological and social factors that shape women’s leadership aspirations in the first place. Addressing this gap, this study applies Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) to explain how contextual support and developmental experiences influence women’s leadership aspirations in a collectivist business environment. Using survey data from 400 adult women in Indonesia and structural equation modelling, the study examines how parental involvement shapes personal mastery, how personal mastery strengthens leadership self-efficacy, and how self-efficacy, role models, and perceived leadership traits jointly predict leadership aspiration. The findings show that parental involvement indirectly contributes to leadership aspiration through personal mastery and self-efficacy, while role models and leadership traits also play significant roles. Among all predictors, self-efficacy emerges as the strongest driver of women’s leadership aspiration. This study makes three contributions. First, it extends SCCT beyond traditional STEM career research into the domain of leadership aspiration. Second, it provides rare empirical evidence from a collectivist Asian context, highlighting the role of family and social environment in shaping women’s leadership pathways. Third, it shifts the focus of gender diversity research from representation outcomes to the formation of the female leadership pipeline, offering actionable insight for educators, families, and organizations seeking to foster future women leaders.