Abstract

Positive Leadership in Higher Education is a key process; however, its connection to the mental health and quality of life of women in leadership roles at universities has been explored only to a limited extent. This study aimed to analyze the structural relationships between positive leadership, positive mental health, and quality of life in women university leaders, and to explore the lived experiences and coping strategies that explain these associations. A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design (QUAN → qual) was employed. 45 women holding senior administrative positions in Peruvian universities completed three standardized scales. The quantitative results reveal that positive leadership significantly predicted positive mental health, which in turn strongly explained quality of life, confirming a partial mediation model. The qualitative results highlighted persistent psychosocial and structural challenges—gender bias, the glass ceiling, role overload, institutional pressure, impostor syndrome, and isolation—alongside coping strategies focused on self-care, emotional regulation, purpose-driven leadership, empowerment, sorority, and organizational transformation with a gender perspective. Positive leadership emerges as a key organizational resource that enhances women’s mental health and quality of life. Institutional cultures grounded in inclusion, care, and relational leadership are essential for sustainable and transformative women’s leadership in higher education. The WISE: Women Integrated for Sustainable Empowerment is presented as a practical action guide for positive female leadership.

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