Purpose
This study systematically examines the invisible costs that women experience while occupying leadership positions, identifying the structural and cultural mechanisms that erode the sustainability of their careers. It consolidates dispersed cross-disciplinary evidence and proposes an integrative, theory-informed framework that captures the gendered dynamics embedded in organizational leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-phase systematic conceptual review was conducted using the Scopus database, focusing on peer-reviewed English-language publications from 2010 to 2024. From an initial sample of 85 records, 36 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed through thematic synthesis in Atlas.ti (v.25). The analysis followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines and employed a hybrid inductive–deductive coding strategy to identify conceptual regularities and theoretical relationships.
Findings
The review identified six interrelated categories of invisible costs: (a) motherhood and caregiving demands, (b) likability pressure, (c) networking exclusion, (d) continuous validation effort, (e) gender backlash, and (f) mental health strain. These burdens operate cumulatively across organizational, interpersonal, and individual domains, reflecting how gendered norms and institutional biases create persistent professional disadvantages for women leaders. The study proposes an Integrative Framework of Invisible Costs, conceptualizing how gendered structures, relational expectations, and psychological internalization interact to undermine the sustainability of women’s leadership.
Originality/Value
This study advances leadership scholarship by shifting the analytical lens from representation to sustainability. It introduces a comprehensive framework theorizing the invisible, relational, and psychological costs of maintaining leadership legitimacy in gendered systems. The findings call for intersectional, longitudinal, and cross-cultural research, as well as structural reforms in organizational policy, leadership development, and workplace culture to foster inclusive, enduring pathways for women’s leadership.
