This article analyzes the history of the development of women leaders in Western countries. It examines women's leadership experience in politics, economics, science, and culture, highlighting historical processes, social changes, and movements for achieving gender equality. Additionally, the contribution of outstanding women leaders to societal development, their role in decision-making, and the challenges they faced are explored. The article also reviews programs aimed at shaping and advancing women's leadership in Western countries during the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as the role of the education system in this process. From a scientific perspective, the formation of gender equality and leadership principles in Western societies is assessed, along with an evaluation of contemporary achievements in this field.

women leaders, Western countries, gender equality, education, politics, economics, historical processes, social development.

Beckwith, C. (2016). The Rise of Women in Leadership: A Global Perspective. Harvard University Press; Walby, S. (2011). The Future of Feminism. Policy Press; Young, I. M. (2000). Inclusion and Democracy. Oxford University Press; Rudman, L. A., & Glick, P. (2012). The Social Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations. Guilford Press.

Haffner, S. (2019). Women and Politics: The New Era of Leadership. Routledge; Tong, R. (2009). Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction. Westview Press; Weldon, S. L. (2002); Protest, Policy, and the Problem of Representation: A Comparative Study of Women’s Movements. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, 9(2), 139-168; Freedman, E. (2002). No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women. Ballantine Books.

Кастро, М. The Power of Women: A Feminist Perspective on Leadership (2014). Palgrave Macmillan

Харрис, С. А. Women and Leadership in Higher Education (2016). Routledge

Фридан, Бетти. The Feminine Mystique (1963). W. W. Norton & Company

Смил, Ж. Gender Equality in Politics: The Role of Women in Decision-Making (2017). SpringerLink

Eagly, Alice H. "The Female Leadership Advantage: An Evaluation of the Evidence." The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 6, 2003, pp. 807-834.

Fielden, Sandra L., and Michele D. Davidson. "Gender and Leadership: A Case Study of Women in Political and Corporate Sectors." Journal of Gender Studies, 2018.

Kellerman, Barbara, and Deborah L. Rhode. "Women and Leadership: The State of Play and Strategies for Change." Jossey-Bass, 2013.

Kimmel, Michael S. "The Gendered Society." Oxford University Press, 2008.

Madhok, Sumi, Shirin Rai, and Mary McHugh, eds. "Intersectionality and Feminist Politics: Global Perspectives." Routledge, 2014

De Beauvoir, Simone. "The Second Sex." Vintage Books, 2011; The Future of Women in Leadership (Harvard Business Review, 2020)

Rhode, Deborah L., ed. "Women and Leadership: History, Theory, and Case Studies." Wiley-Blackwell, 2011; Women in Political Leadership (Global Women’s Leadership Forum, 2021)

"UN Women’s Report on Gender Equality in Leadership." UN Women, 2022; UN Women’s Report on Gender Equality in Leadership, 2022

Брандт Г.А. Философская антропология феминизма. Природа женщины. - СПб, 2006.

Гендерные аспекты политической социологии. Учебное пособие /Отв. ред. С.Г. Айвазова, О.А. Хасбулатова. - М., 2004.

Гендерный калейдоскоп. Курс лекций /Под ред. М.М. Малышевой. -М., 2002.

Женщины в истории: возможность быть увиденными: Сб. науч. ст. / Под ред. И.Р. Чикаловой. Мн.: БГПУ, 2001. http://www.genderstudies.info/sbornik/vozmoj/4.htm

Ahmed S. “Living a Feminist Life”. Duke University Press, 2017.

Жеребкина И.М. Теория и история феминизма. Курс лекций. Харьков, 1996.

Taylor V., Whittier N. “Feminist Frontiers”. McGraw-Hill Education, 2011.

Tuttle L. Encyclopedia of Feminism. New York (Arrow Books), 1986.

Mohanty C. “Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity”. Duke University Press, 2003.

Исполатова С. Самосознание женщин как фактор обновления общественного строя: из доклада на первом Всероссийском женского съезде в декабре 1908 г. //Женщины и земля. 1992, март.

Социологический энциклопедический словарь. М., 2000

Малая Советская Энциклопедия. М., 1931.