Gender Differences in Leadership: An Investigation into Female Leadership Styles and Affective Organisational Commitment

As many women enter the ranks of leadership, more research is conducted and needed. Through qualitative analyses based on bibliographic research, this study aims to explore the gender differences in leadership, providing an investigation into female leadership styles and affective organisational commitment. The review and analysis of existing literature demonstrated that the transformational leadership style is more typical of females than male leaders. The study’s findings also indicate that there are differences between female and male leaders’ styles and traits, reinforcing the existing leadership gender stereotype that female leaders are seen as more emotional, supportive, caring, and people-oriented. In contrast, male leaders are identified as more assertive, directive and task-oriented. Furthermore, it appears that there is a positive association between female leadership and affective commitment. However, during the literature analysis, a scarcity of studies dedicated to understanding this relationship was identified. Therefore, further research is required to confirm and better analyse the relationship between female leadership and affective organisational commitment