Barreras invisibles y liderazgo femenino: desafíos estratégicos en la gestión de PYMES en el Paraguay

Andrea Elizabeth Gerasinchuk Escalante

doi:10.36881/ma.v5i1.1148

Authors

Andrea Elizabeth Gerasinchuk Escalante Doctoranda en Administración, Universidad Nacional de Itapúa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4012-3465

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36881/ma.v5i1.1148

Keywords:

female leadership, SMEs, gender, transformational leadership, organizational equity

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the main challenges faced by women in administrative roles within Paraguayan SMEs, with emphasis on the limitations affecting the development of leadership competencies and strategic skills. The research contributes to the design of public policies and business strategies aimed at promoting gender equality, strengthening women’s empowerment, and enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs in Paraguay. A qualitative approach was employed through a narrative literature review of publications from 2015 to 2024, using databases such as SciELO, RedALyC, Dialnet, and DOAJ. The findings reveal that women face barriers related to limited access to decision-making spaces, lack of professional networks, double workload, and limited availability of strategic training programs, despite regulatory advances in gender equity. The study concludes that it is necessary to strengthen inclusive organizational policies, mentoring programs, and transformational leadership strategies with a gender perspective, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in order to promote the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs.

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