Unraveling women (in) leadership in tourism and hospitality: a retrospect and outlook

Over the past two decades, the global workforce landscape has witnessed a significant shift, marked by a promising increase in the presence of women in leadership roles. This demographic change has ignited scholarly interest in the topic of Women in Leadership (WiL), particularly within the tourism and hospitality sectors. Despite growing attention, research in these fields is fragmented and lacks a cohesive theoretical framework. Addressing this gap, this systematic literature review analyzes 51 articles focusing on WiL within tourism and hospitality, offering a consolidated view of existing knowledge, identifying prevailing research trends, and critically assessing the current state of WiL studies in these sectors. Our study makes a substantial contribution by developing a comprehensive framework for understanding WiL in tourism and hospitality, aiding in the advancement of the subject within these disciplines. Additionally, it proposes a forward-looking research agenda to deepen the theoretical and practical understanding of WiL.