Adolescent leadership development is considered an important research direction in the current academic field of leadership development. This is because cultivating the leadership potential of young people during adolescence is regarded as one of the ways to address gender inequality in adult leadership effectively. Therefore, this study aims to explore the current situation of leadership development among Chinese girls and combine it with the key factors found in previous studies that affect leadership development to gain a deeper understanding of which factors can help Chinese girls improve their leadership. Based on this, scholars can explore effective measures to promote the equal development of adolescent leadership and contribute to addressing gender equality issues in adult leadership in the foreseeable future.
This study used a mixed research method to collect two hundred and nine survey questionnaires and conducted semi-structured interviews with five adult women who had completed their adolescence in China. Through hierarchical regression analysis and text coding analysis of the data, not only did the research confirm the significant impact of developmental experience, leadership development culture, and intrapersonal development on the leadership development of adolescent girls in China, but it also analysed the three necessary stages of leadership development in Chinese girls: motivation to be a leader, obstacles and challenges to be a leader, and gains from leadership developmental experience.
Finally, this study also provides constructive suggestions for Chinese policymakers and educators on how to enhance the leadership development of Chinese girls.
Keywords: Leadership development, adolescent girls, gender inequality in leadership, China
07 February 2024