Nursing education plays a pivotal role in preparing students to deliver culturally competent and inclusive care. Despite the increasing visibility of gender diverse individuals, many nursing curricula inadequately address their unique healthcare needs. This gap leaves both educators and students underprepared, contributing to healthcare disparities and a lack of culturally safe care for gender diverse populations. To explore nursing educators' perceptions of including gender diversity in undergraduate nursing curricula. Qualitative descriptive. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six nurse educators at an Australian university. Participants were purposively sampled, and data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify recurring themes and subthemes. Three key themes emerged: (1) educators' perceptions of gender diversity content inclusion, (2) their preparedness to teach this material, and (3) their feelings about delivering it. Participants recognised the importance of gender diverse content in fostering culturally safe care and improving student preparedness. However, they highlighted significant challenges, including limited formal training, time constraints, and insufficient curricular integration. Educators often relied on personal experiences and self-directed learning to fill knowledge gaps. Many advocated for a more comprehensive and continuous inclusion of gender diverse content throughout the curriculum. The findings underscore the urgent need for structured training, institutional support, curriculum reform, and national standards to better integrate gender diverse content in nursing education. This study offers valuable insights from the Australian context and calls for a shift toward sustained, institutionally supported approaches that prepare nursing graduates to deliver genuinely inclusive care.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is increasingly identified as a priority in healthcare organizations and an essential component of high-quality care. However, research on advancing EDI in healthcare workplaces is limited. This study sought to elucidate how to advance inclusive excellence in a clinical department of a comprehensive cancer centre. A mixed-methods quality improvement project was undertaken whereby staff completed an online survey, and a sub-group were interviewed. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics and univariate regression analyses and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. 103 of 219 staff/learners completed the survey and 17 staff were interviewed. Over 90% of survey participants agreed EDI should be a priority and 29% had experienced discrimination, which was associated with considering leaving the organization. Facilitators to EDI were: enthusiasm/awareness of EDI, openness to new ideas, gender diversity, and safe environments for self-expression. Barriers to EDI were lack of: EDI knowledge, cohesion/collaboration, psychological safety, diversity along various dimensions, EDI-related communication, and burnout. To advance departmental EDI, initiatives should leverage facilitators and overcome barriers to meet department needs aligning with organizational goals. These findings will inform the development of a story huddle learning series to strengthen EDI-related knowledge and skills.

Prevalence of child maltreatment types in Canada.

Gender segregation is a persistent form of labour market inequality, though patterns differ across time and economic sectors. Focusing on the care economy and the technology sector, we examine longitudinal trends in gender distributions for educational credentials and occupational participation. This sector-specific analysis reveals two polarized patterns of gender segregation. In market-based care activities, labour force gender imbalance is intensifying even in the face of labour shortages. Fewer men are found in most care and communal fields of study and occupations. In the technology sector, and despite concerted efforts to improve gender balance, little change has occurred in the share of women in computing, engineering, and physics. This lack of gender change in key subfields of the technology sector is, however, often obscured by women's increasing prominence in the biological and life sciences. While there has been a historic erosion of gender segregation in Canadian schooling and the labour force, the current extent of segregation remains high, and its erosion has not only stalled in the technology sector but also in the care sector, where gender imbalance is seriously worsening. In both sectors, gender-responsive recruitment is essential, but recruitment must be nuanced and targeted to specific fields of study and occupations.

Purpose The study examined the effect of audit engagement partner’s identity disclosure (EPID) on financial accounting information quality and further explored the complementary effect of EPID and board gender diversity on financial accounting information quality. Design/methodology/approach Data for the study were obtained from the audited annual reports of microfinance companies operating in Ghana for the period 2009–2023. Earnings management indicator represented financial accounting information quality. For result estimation, multiple panel estimation techniques were employed. Findings The results show that earnings management (i.e. the indicator for financial accounting information quality) responds inversely to the disclosure of audit engagement partner’s identity, but this inverse effect gets amplified/pronounced in the presence of increasing board gender diversity. Practical implications Financial accounting information quality in firms in developing economies like Ghana can be ensured if engagement partners are made to reveal their identity as a tool for accountability and transparency. But more importantly, firms should ensure their boards are more gender inclusive or balanced if the quality of financial reports is to be highly amplified. Originality/value The study confirms that firms in developing economies/markets like Ghana can benefit from the accountability and transparency tool of audit engagement partner identity disclosure and that firms could maximize the effect of this accountability tool by ensuring board gender diversity.

ABSTRACT This study examines the extent to which demographic diversity is related to firm survival in the context of new venture teams (NVTs). Further, the study tests insights from the categorization‐elaboration model to examine whether human capital within the NVT moderates the focal relationship. The study utilizes data on 608 new ventures across 3549 venture‐years from the Kauffman Firm Survey to assess the main effects of demographic diversity and the moderating effects of human capital on new venture survival. Results indicate that gender diversity is positively related to new venture survival, and this relationship is accentuated by general (GHC) but not industry‐specific (ISHC) human capital. Results indicate that racial and age diversity are not directly related to new venture survival; these relationships are conditional on human capital, such that they are positive when GHC and ISHC are higher, and negative when they are lower. These results advance research on the categorization‐elaboration model (CEM) and on new ventures by demonstrating the utility of combining human capital and demographic diversity to form strategic resources beneficial to new venture survival.

Stigma and discrimination through the lens of people with lived experience of mental health conditions with diverse gender identification and age frames: A qualitative study

Self-concept clarity, the degree to which an individual has a well-defined and stable sense of self, is a well-documented factor in mental health conditions, particularly eating disorders. Difficulties with self-concept clarity are also reported among gender diverse and neurodivergent people, who are overrepresented in eating disorder populations. This cross-sectional study examined associations between self-concept clarity (Self-Concept Clarity Scale), autistic traits (Autism Spectrum Quotient), ADHD traits (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale), gender diversity (Gender Self-Report), and disordered eating, a pattern of atypical eating behaviors and attitudes including food restriction and binge eating (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire). Gender diversity was assessed as binary (identity opposite to sex assigned at birth) and nonbinary traits (identity neither female nor male). Participants were 492 UK adults (324 assigned female at birth; 98.6% cisgender, 1.2% trans/gender diverse, 0.2% preferred not to say; M age = 41.44years, SD = 13.11) recruited online. Correlational and path analysis investigated direct and indirect relations between gender diversity, neurodivergent traits, and disordered eating through self-concept clarity. Autistic traits were indirectly related to disordered eating through self-concept clarity, while ADHD traits showed both direct and indirect associations. Greater binary and nonbinary gender diverse traits were correlated with higher levels of disordered eating but were no longer significantly related once neurodivergent traits, age, and sex assigned at birth were controlled. Findings suggest low self-concept clarity may provide a mechanism for increased disordered eating in individuals with higher levels of neurodivergent traits, but not among those with gender diverse traits when covariates are considered.

Board gender diversity has increased globally, driven by evidence that women bring unique perspectives and prudent decision-making that enhance firm performance and governance. Despite growing recognition of its importance, countries like Bangladesh still face challenges due to traditional gender roles limiting women’s participation in corporate leadership. The study examines the increasing presence of both genders on the boards of directors of commercial banks in Bangladesh. The independent variables are board size, board independence, gender diversity, and the audit committee’s independence. The dependent variable, Return on Assets (ROA), is a ratio that has been used to measure bank performance. This analysis uses the methods of descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, where applicable, multicollinearity tests, the Hausman test, and panel regression analysis to examine the link between a Bank’s Performance and the Gender Diversity of the Board of Directors. The method of moments (GMM) procedure is order to obtain a more strong regression result. The analysis demonstrates that board gender diversity is negatively associated with the financial performance of commercial banks, suggesting that increased female representation on boards corresponds with lower returns on assets. Board independence appears to exert minimal influence on bank performance, indicating a limited effect on overall institutional outcomes. Furthermore, the independence of the audit committee is found to negatively affect bank performance, highlighting its potential implications for the governance and financial effectiveness of commercial banks in Bangladesh. These results call for further investigation into the underlying factors, such as lack of industry-specific experience, the hostile work environment in the male-dominated banking sector, limited decision-making authority, etc.

Abstract This study analyses the diversification of the South Korean legal field following institutional changes. South Korean reforms to legal education and legal practice between 2007 and 2011, specifically the 2007 Act on the Establishment and Management of Professional Law Schools and the 2011 Attorney-at-Law Act amendments, expanded the pool of new attorneys and increased the number of law firms. The government increased the supply of lawyers by reforming the legal education system, while concurrent regulations promoted gender diversity in the system. Restrictions on establishing law firms were loosened. Using data on founding partners who established law firms in South Korea from 2000 to 2016, this study examines the effects of these legal reforms on the gender diversity of founding law firm partners. The findings reveal that the proportion of women among founding partners increased following these reforms, suggesting that the institutional changes encouraged gender desegregation in the Korean legal field.

Abstract How do women in parliament shape trade in clean and dirty products? A large body of literature finds that women have stronger preferences for environmental protection than men. I argue that when more women enter parliament, international trade becomes cleaner. One mechanism is by introducing more stringent environmental regulation, which shapes firms’ costs and hence comparative (dis)advantages: Stringent environmental regulation increases costs relatively more for firms producing dirty products, resulting in a comparative disadvantage in global product markets; firms producing clean products gain a comparative advantage. As a consequence, women in parliament make trade cleaner, which has consequences for environmental and distributional outcomes. Leveraging ‘gender quota shocks’ and a variety of country, firm, and product data from European Union (EU) countries, I find support for these arguments. Moreover, examining import flows, I interestingly find no evidence that gender quotas lead to the outsourcing of dirty production. I finally provide suggestive evidence for the mechanism that women’s descriptive representation shapes trade in clean versus dirty products via stricter environmental regulation. These findings enhance the study on the connection between descriptive and substantive representation, introduce a new perspective on trade and environmental politics, and highlight the significance of gendered representation for environmental and distributional outcomes.

Purpose This study examines the impact of female executives on corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance within Chinese-listed companies. Utilizing firm-level data from 2015 to 2022, this study investigates how gender diversity in leadership drives ESG outcomes. Furthermore, it examines the heterogeneous effects of ownership types, financial constraints and regional development levels, providing evidence-based insights into the strategic role of women in executive positions in advancing corporate sustainability and informing governance reforms for inclusive business practices. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a dual fixed-effects regression model to analyze panel data from Chinese-listed companies. Beyond investigating the direct impact of female executives on ESG performance, the model incorporates financial constraints as a moderating variable. Sub-sample analyses are conducted to explore heterogeneity across ownership types (state-owned and private) and regional economic development (eastern, central and western China), offering a nuanced understanding of contextual factors shaping the relationship between gender diversity in leadership and corporate sustainability outcomes. Findings The empirical results reveal that a 10% increase in female executive representation significantly enhances corporate ESG scores by 0.1939 points. This effect is particularly pronounced in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) exhibiting the most pronounced effect. Moreover, the results indicate that reduced financial constraints amplify the positive association between female executives and ESG performance. Regional disparities reveal that female executives significantly drive ESG improvements in economically developed eastern region of China, whereas no statistically meaningful impact is observed in underdeveloped central and western regions. Practical implications The findings suggest that corporations should institutionalize gender-inclusive recruitment and promotion systems to strengthen female decision-making authority. Policymakers are encouraged to adopt region-specific strategies, such as incentivizing gender parity in underdeveloped areas to mitigate ESG governance gaps. Furthermore, SOE reforms could integrate gender diversity metrics into ESG evaluation frameworks to catalyze industry-wide sustainability practices. Finally, financial institutions could develop green financing instruments offering preferential terms to firms achieving gender-balanced leadership thresholds. Originality/value This study expands to the reservoir of literature on gender diversity and sustainability by providing empirical evidence from an emerging market where ESG disclosure is evolving. It is among the pioneer studies to quantify the marginal effect of female executives’ representation on ESG performance and to reveal how this relationship is influenced by financial constraints, ownership structure and regional disparities. The study underscores the strategic value of female executives in fostering inclusive governance and regionally balanced sustainable development.

Corporate tax avoidance has become a major governance and fiscal sustainability concern, particularly in developing economies where corporate tax revenues constitute a critical source of public financing. While prior research suggests that board gender diversity (BGD) enhances ethical oversight and monitoring, its effectiveness in constraining aggressive tax planning may depend on firms’ informational and technological environments. This study examines whether artificial intelligence (AI) capability strengthens the governance role of BGD in reducing corporate tax avoidance. Using a balanced panel of 1586 non-financial firms from developing economies over the period 2009–2023, the analysis employs firm FE models and dynamic two-step System GMM estimations to address unobserved heterogeneity, endogeneity, and the persistence of corporate tax behavior. The results indicate that BGD is positively associated with effective tax rates, implying lower levels of corporate tax avoidance. Furthermore, AI capability—measured using a lagged specification—significantly strengthens this relationship, suggesting that firms with higher AI adoption exhibit a stronger governance effect of gender-diverse boards on tax compliance. Additional robustness tests—including alternative tax avoidance measures, alternative BGD specifications, heterogeneity analysis, and selection-bias corrections using Heckman, propensity score matching (PSM), and instrumental variable (2SLS) approaches—confirm the stability of the findings. Overall, the results highlight the complementary role of technological capability and board diversity in strengthening corporate governance (CG) and fiscal discipline in developing economies.

Purpose Guided by the Theory of Gendered Organizations and concepts of institutional isomorphism, this study aims to the maturity of gender diversity in the top management of Brazilian state-owned, publicly traded sanitation companies. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, documentary approach analyzed corporate reports from seven sanitation companies between 2022 and 2024. A seven-indicator maturity model, grounded in literature on symbolic versus substantive representation, was developed to assess the gap between policy adoption and outcomes. Findings The findings reveal a variance in maturity, with some companies achieving “Mature” status on policy adoption while female representation remains low (averaging 20%). This exposes a significant gap between symbolic commitment and substantive change. The results suggest that embedded gendered structures and informal mechanisms like homophily persist, rendering formal policies insufficient on their own to dismantle the glass ceiling. Research limitations/implications Reliance on documentary data may not capture informal practices influencing gender equality. Practical implications The study provides a replicable framework for diversity maturity and highlights the need to move beyond policy adoption toward implementing accountability mechanisms that address informal barriers and link diversity goals to performance. Social implications By demonstrating the persistence of inequality in a sector vital for public health, it underscores the need for stronger governance to advance social justice and democratic representation in public services. Originality/value This research contributes by providing a critical analysis of diversity maturity in the context of Latin American public utilities. It refines the application of maturity models to expose the symbolic-substantive gap and advances theoretical understanding of why gendered organizations are resistant to change.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how gender, family ties, education, and experience influence employees' acceptance of successors in family businesses and how these perceptions affect strategic performance. Grounded in Role Congruity Theory, Institutional Theory, and Human Capital Theory, it aims to develop an employee-centric framework explaining successor legitimacy. Through qualitative interviews with 52 employees across eight countries, the study examines how competence signals — such as education and experience — interact with kinship and gender to shape acceptance, offering theoretical and practical insights for inclusive, merit-based succession planning that promotes sustainability and equitable leadership transitions in family enterprises. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative, interpretive research design using semi-structured online interviews with 52 employees from family businesses across eight countries. Purposive sampling was employed to include both family and non-family employees with diverse gender, education, and experience profiles. Data were analysed using a hybrid inductive–deductive thematic approach, combining open coding with theory-driven interpretation guided by Role Congruity Theory, Institutional Theory, and Human Capital Theory. NVivo software supported data organisation and coding. Reliability and validity were ensured through triangulation, intercoder reliability checks, and member validation, enabling a rigorous examination of employee perceptions of successor legitimacy and acceptance. Findings The findings reveal that employees prioritise education and experience over kinship when evaluating successors, emphasising competence as the key determinant of legitimacy. While family ties convey loyalty and continuity, they are insufficient without demonstrated capability. Female successors are more accepted when they possess advanced education, external experience, and professional credibility. Interestingly, some female employees showed ambivalence toward female leaders, reflecting internalised gender norms. Acceptance levels also varied by cultural context—employees in egalitarian societies valued merit, while those in high power-distance cultures relied on familial legitimacy. Overall, succession acceptance emerged as a multidimensional, culturally influenced process balancing tradition and professionalism. Research limitations/implications This study has several limitations. First, the sample size, though diverse, is limited to 52 employees from eight countries, restricting the generalisability of findings. Second, as interviews were conducted online, the depth of interaction and the ability to capture nonverbal insights were constrained. Third, cultural representation across countries was uneven, limiting systematic cross-national comparison. Fourth, the study does not differentiate between industry sectors, which may influence perceptions of gender and succession. Finally, as a qualitative study, findings are interpretive rather than causal. Future research could employ larger, cross-sectoral, and longitudinal designs to explore cultural, industrial, and generational variations in successor acceptance. Practical implications This study offers actionable insights for family business owners, successors, and HR professionals. It emphasises the need for transparent, merit-based succession planning that prioritises competence over kinship or gender. Family firms should invest in leadership development and mentoring programmes, particularly for female successors, to enhance legitimacy through education and experience. Awareness and bias training can help address unconscious gender biases among employees. In high-power-distance cultures, formal endorsement from senior family members may strengthen acceptance, whereas in egalitarian contexts, clear performance criteria are essential. Implementing inclusive succession strategies enhances employee trust, organisational continuity, and long-term sustainability in family enterprises. Social implications This study highlights the broader social importance of promoting gender equality and meritocracy in family business leadership. By revealing how biases rooted in culture and tradition influence successor acceptance, it encourages a societal shift toward inclusive leadership and equal opportunities for women. Empowering qualified female successors helps challenge patriarchal norms, foster workplace diversity, and model gender-balanced leadership for future generations. Culturally sensitive strategies promoting fairness and competence-based succession can strengthen social cohesion, reduce gender-based discrimination, and contribute to sustainable economic development by ensuring that leadership talent, regardless of gender or family status, is fully recognised and utilised. Originality/value This study makes a novel contribution by introducing an employee-centric perspective to family business succession research, an area traditionally dominated by owner and successor viewpoints. It develops the Family Business Employee Succession Preference Model, integrating Role Congruity, Institutional, and Human Capital theories to explain how gender, kinship, and competence jointly shape successor legitimacy. Incorporating cross-cultural insights reveals how national culture moderates acceptance patterns, highlighting cultural nuances in gender bias and perceptions of leadership. The study advances theoretical understanding of succession as a socially constructed, multidimensional process and offers practical pathways toward inclusive, merit-based, and sustainable leadership transitions.

Algorithmic hiring systems are widely adopted for their capacity to improve recruitment efficiency; however, their implications for workplace diversity and equitable candidate representation in Sub-Saharan African organisational environments remain empirically underexplored. This study examined the relationship between algorithmic hiring and workplace diversity at Carlcare Service Limited, Zambia's private sector electronics service multinational, with a specific focus on organisational adoption patterns, mechanisms of algorithmic bias, and governance practices deployed to mitigate discriminatory outcomes. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, quantitative data were collected from 121 employees through structured questionnaires, while qualitative data were obtained from semi-structured interviews with eight key informants comprising HR managers, recruitment specialists, IT administrators, and a senior operations manager. Findings revealed that algorithmic hiring adoption was driven exclusively by efficiency rather than diversity objectives, with CV screening identified as the dominant deployment stage. Perceptions of gender and ethnic diversity improvement were predominantly neutral, with ethnic diversity recording the weakest perceived improvement, and 39.7% of respondents agreeing that algorithmic tools filter out strong candidates with atypical profiles. Qualitative findings indicated that adoption lacked a diversity mandate, bias awareness existed without structural mitigation, and the tools were culturally misaligned with the Zambian workforce. The study concludes that algorithmic hiring systems developed in Western institutional environments require deliberate socio-technical governance adaptation when deployed in African labour markets. Practical recommendations are offered for HR practitioners and policymakers.

Purpose This study aims to examine how women on corporate boards affect environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, focusing on the moderating role of operating cash flow (OCF) opacity and the mediating role of sustainability committees (SCs). Drawing on agency, stakeholder and signalling theories, it explores how leadership structure and financial transparency shape ESG performance in the UK. Design/methodology/approach This study uses panel data from FTSE 100 firms for the period 2014–2023. The analysis uses fixed-effects regressions and two-stage least squares estimations. Mediation effects were tested using Baron and Kenny’s (1986) framework and generalised structural equation modelling. Findings Board gender diversity (BGD) is positively associated with ESG performance, particularly when women hold senior leadership positions such as CEO or board chair. The results also indicate post-critical mass effects. SCs partially mediate this relationship, with the strongest mediation effect found for female board chairs. In addition, OCF opacity moderates these dynamics by weakening the effects of BGD and female board chairs on ESG performance, while amplifying the influence of female CEOs in opaque reporting environments. Research limitations/implications In spite of its contributions, this study has limitations that open avenues for future research. First, the analysis may suffer from survivorship bias, as FTSE 100 firms could differ from those entering or exiting the index, limiting generalisability. Second, the binary measure of SC presence may overlook variations in mandate, expertise or activity. Third, while ESG scores are becoming standardised, they may still reflect provider-specific noise. Unobserved time-varying factors, such as corporate culture or stakeholder pressure, may also affect both governance and ESG outcomes, and some effects may reflect broader industry trends not fully captured by fixed effects or controls. Practical implications The findings suggest that ESG performance improves most effectively when women occupy leadership roles on boards, financial reporting is transparent and SCs are empowered to translate board intent into operational governance. Social implications This study advances gender equity, stakeholder trust and corporate responsibility, showing board diversity as both fairness and sustainability drivers. Originality/value This is one of the first studies, to the best of the author’s knowledge, to examine the joint effects of BGD, OCF opacity and SCs on ESG performance, highlighting how composition, transparency and governance interact to shape sustainable corporate behaviour.

Zimbabwe has ratified international agreements and developed national policies, such as the National Disability Policy (2021), promoting the rights of people with disabilities (PWD). However, a significant gap persists between policy and the lived reality of PWD accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the lived experiences of people with sensory and physical disabilities in accessing SRH services in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A qualitative study was conducted in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province of Zimbabwe. Twenty participants with sensory and physical disabilities were recruited to represent diversity in gender, age, and disability type. In-depth, semi-structured phone or text message interviews depending on participant need and preference, until data saturation was reached. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, following a six-step process to ensure analytical rigour. Four themes were identified: (1) structural and infrastructural barriers; (2) financial exclusion due to multiplied costs; (3) systemic communication failures; and (4) pervasive stigma and discrimination from healthcare providers. These barriers intersect to limit SRH access and result in unmet sexual and reproductive needs, unwanted pregnancies, and avoidance of healthcare facilities. Despite a progressive policy environment, the implementation of disability-inclusive SRH services in Bulawayo is critically weak. Urgent action is required, including mandatory disability sensitivity training for all healthcare workers, investment in accessible infrastructure and assistive communication devices,enforcement of accessibility standards through regular audits,and engagement with disability advocacy groups to monitor policy compliance. These measures are essential to bridge the gap between law and practice and uphold the SRH rights of PWD.

Hospitality and tourism firms are central actors in sustainable tourism transitions because their operations are resource intensive and highly visible to consumers and local communities. This study examines whether board-level governance mechanisms—board independence, gender diversity, a sustainability committee, CEO duality, and board size—are associated with environmental performance, and whether environmental performance is related to firm value in global hospitality firms. Using a panel of 10 large publicly traded hospitality companies across North America, Europe, and Asia from 2013–2022 (100 firm-year observations) and fixed-effects estimation, we find positive associations between board independence, board gender diversity, and the presence of a sustainability committee and environmental performance, while CEO duality is negatively associated. Environmental performance is positively associated with firm value (Tobin’s Q) after controlling for profitability and firm size. Because the sample is intentionally bounded to large listed firms and the Refinitiv Environmental Pillar Score is disclosure based, the results should be interpreted as sector-specific associative evidence rather than as definitive causal estimates of operational environmental outcomes. To support longitudinal research on emerging practices in sustainable tourism, we also document a public-source protocol that enables researchers to extend the panel beyond 2022, broaden firm coverage, and incorporate direct environmental indicators over time. The findings highlight board sustainability governance as a potentially important private-sector practice for strengthening environmental citizenship in hospitality, while also clarifying the measurement and generalizability limits of the present design.

The field of neurosurgery in the Caribbean has long been shaped by systemic limitations in infrastructure, training opportunities, and gender representation. Despite these challenges, a small group of pioneering women have broken through traditional barriers to become leaders in Caribbean neurosurgery. This narrative review highlights the contributions and career trajectories of female neurosurgeons across the region, offering historical and contemporary perspectives on their clinical, academic, and leadership roles. Through a combination of literature review and direct outreach, we document the stories of the first female neurosurgeons in Curaçao, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Their achievements span advanced surgical innovations, including the introduction of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy in the Caribbean, establishment of local neurosurgical departments, and leadership in academic and global neurosurgery initiatives. The article also examines persistent disparities in neurosurgical training and representation, particularly among women and underrepresented minorities. These stories underscore the critical importance of resilience, mentorship, and advocacy in driving progress in a traditionally male-dominated field. By documenting these contributions, we aim to amplify the visibility of Caribbean female neurosurgeons and inspire further efforts to promote equity and diversity in neurosurgery, both regionally and globally.