The Phenomenology of Success: Women Who Made It to the C-suite Despite Barriers

Multiple researchers have explored avenues to achieve gender diversity in leadership, primarily by studying the barriers to success for aspiring women leaders. Despite barriers, a small group of women have risen to the top positions of US corporations, demonstrating that there is a path to success and highlighting an opportunity to address leadership diversity differently. Whereas most research on gender diversity in leadership focuses on the barriers women encounter, this qualitative phenomenological study focused on how women can succeed. By leveraging Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to explore systems that enabled a phenomenal group of women to advance to the C-suite, this study’s findings highlight paths to success for aspiring women leaders and opportunities for organizations to establish cultures that enable support, learning, and advocacy for women’s career advancement, thereby enhancing gender diversity in leadership.