The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Emotional Intelligence from a Gendered Approach

Studies on both transformational leadership and emotional intelligence have analyzed the relationship between emotions and leadership. Yet the relationships among these concepts and gender roles have not been documented. In this study, we investigated the relations among transformational leadership, emotional intelligence, and gender stereotypes. Four hundred thirty-one Spanish undergraduates (162 men and 269 women; mean age = 19.56 years) in three different disciplines completed a questionnaire including scales for measuring emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, and gender identity. Results showed important differences across the different disciplines and illustrated that emotional intelligence and gender roles predict transformational leadership. These results are interpreted in line with current research on the topic of leadership and emotional intelligence.