Analysis of Female Participation in Management Positions: Leadership Styles in Companies in the City of Loja, Ecuador

In order to achieve good results in business growth or career development, it’s important to have a determined and appropriate leadership style. This article aims to describe and investigate whether there is a relationship between female participation in leadership positions and the leadership styles applied in companies in the city of Loja. A sample of 259 companies was taken, segmented according to their size, and a non-experimental, descriptive research was designed to identify fundamental characteristics of gender participation in companies, correlating two study variables: V1—Female gender has participation in leadership positions, and V2—What type of leadership is present in these positions. A correlational analysis was conducted with non-parame-tric tests, using the Chi-square statistical test to measure the relationship between the analysis variables. The results showed that male leaders tend to apply Autocratic, Charismatic, and Coaching leadership styles, while female leaders tend to apply Transactional and Transformational leadership styles, which allow for better career development and business growth. Therefore, it is concluded that there is a correlation between these study variables.