Virtual Issue: International Women's Day 2026
Editorial: Celebrating UN SDG Goal No. 5 on Gender Equality on International Women's Day 2026
Britta Gammelgaard, IJLM Editor-in-Chief, University of Southern Denmark
The International Journal of Logistics Management (IJLM) – like all Emerald journals – prioritises research topics that address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal No. 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, with the aim of avoiding the waste of human capital and safeguarding the social fabric of societies. Although these goals have been criticised for adopting a post-colonial and Global North perspective, they also draw attention to injustices experienced by groups of people and countries, for example due to climate change and unsustainable global supply chains. As such, they may create new political opportunities (Arora-Jonsson, 2023). Research on gender issues helps actors to identify inequalities and understand what can be done to reduce them. IJLM is proud to contribute to the creation and dissemination of such knowledge.
On International Women's Day, 8 March, we therefore wish to highlight recent IJLM contributions to knowledge about women in logistics and supply chain management through this virtual issue. Some of the articles presented here will form part of the forthcoming Special Issue Women in Supply Chain and Logistics under the Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 Workplace Environment, to be published later in 2026. This issue is part of a broader series addressing the role of humans and working conditions in logistics and supply chain management. The remaining issues in the series are Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Supply Chain Management: Exploring Its Relationship with Human Resources and Supply Management, led by guest editor Priscila L. S. Miguel, and The Future of Work and its Long-standing Supply Chain Implications: Lessons from the Pandemic and Beyond, led by Salomée Ruel. We look forward to publishing this series, which complements other Special Issues focusing on the impact of this.
The following articles in this virtual issue are free to access until 25th March 2026:
Toward gender equality in operations and supply chain management: a systematic review, research themes and future directions (2024)
Mohammadreza Akbari, Salomée Ruel, Hieu Thi Minh Nguyen, Carmen Reaiche, and Stephen Boyle
This article presents a systematic literature review of gender inequality in Operations and Supply Chain Management from 1977 to 2023. Only five articles specifically addressing gender inequality were identified. This limited number is likely due to disciplinary “silo thinking in academia”, yet it highlights the extent of gender inequality in the field and contributes to a growing discourse on gender equality that should also take place within logistics and supply chain management.
Factors influencing career development in supply chain management with gender perspectives: French case study (2024)
Nadine Kafa, Salomée Ruel, and Anicia Jaegler
This article supplements the academic literature by providing a French perspective based on insights from both male and female experts. The authors identified 32 factors influencing career advancement, grouped into four categories: environmental and structural, human capital, individual, and interpersonal factors. The experts emphasised “skills”, “a good fit between an individual and an organisation”, and “self-confidence” as key factors. Unexpectedly, they rejected all environmental and structural factors, and no significant differences were found between male and female evaluations. This suggests that practice in the French context may be ahead of academic research in recognising gender-related dynamics.
Correlation of gendered language and the gender gap in job vacancies in the Lithuanian logistics sector (2025)
Maria L. Medel and Monika Petkevičiūtė-Stručko
This article adopts a linguistic approach to gender issues by analysing job advertisements in the Lithuanian logistics sector. The authors examined postings for drivers (predominantly men) and middle managers (predominantly women), analysing 126 job advertisements over five months. Using a list of stereotypically masculine and feminine words adapted from previous studies, they identified significant differences in wording that reinforce gender-based divisions of labour within the industry.
Examining the influence of industry-level factors on women's engagement in decision-making in the logistics sector (2025)
Nabiira Nantongo, Joseph Mpeera Ntayi, Sheila Namagembe, and Marcia Mkansi
This study explores how industry context, gender composition, and the presence of female role models influence women’s engagement in decision-making within Uganda’s logistics sector. The findings show that a supportive industry context, higher female representation, and visible female role models each have a significant positive effect on women’s participation in leadership and strategic processes in the logistics sector.
Female social sustainability initiatives in the textile industry: an institutional theory and social resource-based view (2025)
Amna Farrukh, Amra Mehddi, and Aymen Sajjad
This article examines female social sustainability (FSS) initiatives in Pakistan’s textile supply chain. Although social sustainability has become increasingly important for firms striving for responsible supply chain operations, FSS initiatives remain limited in many critical industries. This study contributes empirical insights into how such initiatives are implemented and perceived.
Harnessing Industry 5.0 to empower women in supply chain and logistics: insights from the manufacturing heartland of India (2025)
Ganesh Bhoju Narkhede, Cherian Samuel, Parikshit Mahalle, and Nirmal Patil
The authors investigate how Industry 5.0 (I5.0) technologies can support gender diversity in logistics and supply chain management. While the I5.0 environment can foster a more inclusive workforce, challenges persist, including gender bias, unequal leadership opportunities, and limited access to training and development. The study underscores the importance of women’s empowerment principles.
Industry 5.0 and women empowerment: a mixed-method analysis in the supply chain and logistics sector (2025)
Ganesh Bhoju Narkhede, Manish Bali, Vishal Naranje, Anuradha Yenkikar, and Ved Prakash Mishra
This mixed-method study further explores the application of I5.0 in logistics. The findings reveal that although I5.0 promotes an inclusive vision for the future workforce, persistent gender-related challenges continue to restrict equitable participation. The authors propose a framework to mitigate barriers such as gender bias, underrepresentation in leadership, and inconsistent access to upskilling opportunities.
Corruption, gender inequality and logistics performance (2020)
Paul D. Larson
Using secondary data, Larson hypothesises links between corruption, gender inequality, and logistics performance. His analysis shows that corruption perceptions directly affect perceived logistics performance, while gender inequality has both direct and indirect negative effects.
Conclusion
Collectively, these articles demonstrate that gender equality is still far from assured in logistics theory or practice, despite its undeniable importance for social sustainability. While there may be understandable reasons for the limited academic attention to date, the contributions in this virtual issue highlight the responsibility of academia to describe, understand, and explain the challenges of achieving gender equality—particularly within the logistics industry, but also across global supply chains. As system thinkers, our analyses should be accompanied by actionable recommendations for practice which they almost always are.
Happy International Women’s Day!
Reference
Arora-Jonsson, S. (2023). The sustainable development goals: A universalist promise for the future. Futures, 146, 103087