Abstract
This study investigated the influence of societal norms on women’s leadership in faith-based
organizations, drawing evidence from Evangelical Church Winning All in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
The main objective was to assess how prevailing social norms affect women’s participation in
leadership within the church. Out of a population of 295,045, a randomly selected sample of 709
respondents was used to ensure adequate representation. Adopting a descriptive survey research
design, data were gathered using a structured questionnaire. The results revealed that entrenched
cultural beliefs, patriarchal traditions, and expectations surrounding women’s domestic roles
significantly hinder their advancement into senior leadership positions by fostering biased
perceptions and recruitment practices that relegate them to supportive roles despite their proven
competence. The study concludes that restricting women to auxiliary functions not only
undermines their individual leadership growth but also weakens the overall effectiveness of the
institution. Consequently, it recommends that Evangelical Church Winning All should implement
intentional gender-sensitization and leadership development initiatives to challenge patriarchal
assumptions and encourage favourable attitudes towards women’s leadership among both clergy
and congregants. In addition, the church is urged to adopt transparent, merit-driven leadership
selection processes that emphasize theological qualification, experience, and leadership abilityrather than gender, thereby ensuring equitable opportunities for capable women to occupy senior
leadership roles.