Mediating Gender Equity: A Global Analysis of Leadership Development Programmes, Media Representation and Digital Advocacy

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between leadership development programme and gender equity through a global media lens, focusing on representation, visibility, and digital advocacy. Despite sustained global attention to gender inclusion, women remain underrepresented in leadership across political, corporate, and social domains (World Economic Forum, 2023). While leadership development programme seek to address this imbalance by enhancing women’s skills, networks, and opportunities (Northouse, 2018), their broader impact is shaped by media processes that influence visibility and public discourse. Drawing on a qualitative global media analysis of international news content, digital platforms, and institutional publications, the study explores how leadership initiatives are framed and circulated. The analysis is informed by Agenda-Setting Theory, Social Learning Theory, and Feminist Theory, enabling a critical interrogation of media power in shaping gendered leadership narratives. The findings identify a persistent imbalance in media coverage: gender inequality is widely reported, yet leadership development programme receive limited and fragmented attention. This “visibility gap” constrains public awareness and weakens the trans-formative potential of such initiatives. At the same time, digital media platforms function as alternative communicative spaces in which women construct leadership identities and mobilise advocacy. The article argues that advancing gender equity in leadership requires not only institutional interventions but also strategic engagement with media systems to enhance visibility, challenge dominant representations, and support inclusive narratives of leadership.