Objective - To analyze how women's political leadership translates from descriptive representation into substantive influence, identify the governance mechanisms affecting sustainable development, and examine the institutional conditions shaping these relationships.

Methodology/Technique - An integrative review and structured evidence audit updated through July 2026, which synthesized 33 scholarly and authoritative institutional sources (selected from 68 candidate sources after screening). The analysis combined Governance Theory, Feminist Institutionalism, and SDG Interaction Theory to compare evidence across political systems and policy domains.

Findings - Women's presence in office expands the possibility of influence but does not automatically guarantee superior development performance. Stronger outcomes depend on agenda access, executive authority, budgetary influence, and administrative capacity, with evidence being stronger for social-policy and institutional outcomes than for environmental or economic effects.

Novelty - The conceptualization of women's political leadership as a contingent governance mechanism rather than an automatic cause, delivering an integrated framework that links representation, authority, mechanisms, outputs, and SDG outcomes while specifying enabling and constraining conditions.

Type of Paper - Review

Keywords: women's political leadership; substantive representation; feminist institutionalism; governance; SDG 5; SDG interactions; sustainable development

JEL Classification: J16, D72, O15, H11

URI: https://gatrenterprise.com/GATRJournals/GJBSSR/vol14.2_3.html

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2026.14.2(3)

Pages 68–84