From Career Barriers to Leadership Aspiration: The Moderating Role of Digital Literacy among Women in Creative MSMEs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35870/ijmsit.v6i2.8817Keywords:
Women’s Career Advancement, Leadership Aspiration, Gender Stereotype, Career Advancement Opportunities, Work–Family Conflict, Creative-Industry MSMEsAbstract
Drawing on social cognitive career theory and role congruity theory, this study develops and empirically tests a gendered career advancement model to explain leadership aspirations among women working in creative-industry MSMEs in Malang, Indonesia. The model examines how Gender Stereotype, Organizational Culture, Human Resource Practices, Lack of Mentoring, Work–Family Conflict, and Career Advancement Opportunities influence Women’s Career Advancement, and whether Digital Literacy strengthens the relationship between Women’s Career Advancement and Leadership Aspiration. A quantitative explanatory design was employed using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire administered to 300 women selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using multiple regression and hierarchical moderation analysis in SPSS 27 with PROCESS Model 1. The results show that Career Advancement Opportunities and Organizational Culture positively and significantly affect Women’s Career Advancement, whereas Gender Stereotype and Work–Family Conflict have significant negative effects. Human Resource Practices and Lack of Mentoring do not demonstrate significant unique effects. Career Advancement Opportunities are the strongest positive predictor, while Gender Stereotype represents the strongest barrier. Women’s Career Advancement positively influences Leadership Aspiration, and Digital Literacy significantly strengthens this relationship. The antecedent model explains 39.8% of the variance in Women’s Career Advancement, while the final moderation model explains 31.0% of the variance in Leadership Aspiration. These findings demonstrate that women’s leadership development requires genuine career opportunities, inclusive organizational cultures, reduced gender stereotypes and work–family pressures, and digital competencies connected to leadership responsibilities. The study positions digital literacy as a boundary condition rather than a direct driver of leadership ambition in small creative enterprises. Because the mediating role of Women’s Career Advancement was not formally tested, the relationships are reported as direct and moderated effects.
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