Women's Effective Leadership Roles during the Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis: Truth or Fable?

The purpose of this research is to examine the studies on women's effective leadership roles, with a focus on middle managers, top managers, and government heads. This study is based on an examination of existing literature, specifically on women leaders who were successful in times of crisis and the characteristics that contributed to their success. One such recent crisis is the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and according to several publications, female leaders all over the world managed to tackle the COVID-19 situation more effectively than their male counterparts. These women were reportedly responding more promptly and communicating more effectively regarding pandemic strategies. This success was attributed to these women's unique characteristics when compared to male leaders. In order to comprehend these characteristics and how these women leaders were successful during times of crisis, this article reviewed the relevant past literature. However, there were some contradicting findings stating that female leaders were indifferent to male leaders during the pandemic period. These findings represent a significant first step in comprehending the crisis responses of female leaders, which can identify new research avenues in the Malaysian context. Keywords: Crisis; COVID-19; Leadership; Women; Characteristics