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August 12, 2025
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March 12, 2026
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March 12, 2026
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Abstract

Women constitute 95% of the early childhood education (ECE) workforce globally yet hold only 60% of leadership positions, creating a critical gap between numerical presence and positional authority. This systematic review analyzes women's leadership patterns, barriers, and effectiveness in ECE through integrated bibliometric analysis and evidence synthesis. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we systematically searched Scopus database for studies published 2010-2025. Search strategy employed keywords targeting women, leadership, and early childhood education using Boolean operators. Two independent reviewers screened 195 records, with 113 studies meeting relevance criteria (≥2 of 3 criteria: ECE focus, leadership focus, gender focus). Quality assessment used validated tools for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies. Analysis integrated network visualization with thematic synthesis. Publications showed sustained scholarly interest with 44.2% from 2020-2025. Geographic analysis revealed diverse representation: North America (28.3%), Asia-Pacific (24.8%), and Europe (22.1%). Women's leadership demonstrated collaborative dominance (67.3% of studies), achieving measurable outcomes including 25-35% staff retention improvement, 30-40% family engagement increase, and 15-25% child development gains. Systematic barriers included structural impediments (59.3% of studies), cultural expectations (51.3%), and personal factors (30.1%), while facilitators encompassed mentorship programs (37.2%) and professional development opportunities (49.6%). COVID-19 pandemic research (2020-2025) revealed adaptive leadership approaches across five critical areas: remote management, health protocols, digital transformation, staff wellbeing, and crisis management. Evidence validates collaborative and care-based leadership approaches' effectiveness in ECE contexts while documenting persistent advancement barriers requiring systematic intervention. Findings provide theoretical foundation for ECE-specific leadership development and evidence-based guidance for organizational policies supporting women's leadership advancement in early childhood education.

Keywords

women's leadership early childhood education systematic review collaborative leadership gender equity

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Copyright (c) 2026 Asti Putri Kartiwi, Badrud Tamam, Nadia Nur Ifani

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How to Cite
Kartiwi, A. P., Tamam, B., & Ifani, N. N. (2026). From Classroom To Leadership: Patterns And Barriers In Women’s Career Advancement In Early Childhood Education. Jurnal Ilmiah Potensia, 11(1), 54–72. https://doi.org/10.33369/jip.11.1.54-72
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