As workforce diversity emerges as a key element of organizational competitiveness worldwide, there is a growing interest in inclusive leadership that recognizes and respects individual differences among employees. In particular, the role of leadership in effectively leveraging the capabilities of members from diverse backgrounds has gained increasing attention, highlighting the need for empirical investigations into how leadership affects female employees. This study aims to examine the impact of inclusive leadership on task performance among female employees and to analyze the mediating role of proactive behavior in this relationship. A survey was conducted with female workers across various industries in South Korea. The analyses revealed that inclusive leadership significantly influenced proactive behavior, and proactive behavior, in turn, had a significant effect on task performance. However, the direct effect of inclusive leadership on task performance was not statistically significant, indicating a full mediation effect of proactive behavior. These findings suggest that inclusive leadership indirectly enhances task performance by promoting proactive behavior among female employees. This contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanism through which inclusive leadership influences performance outcomes and underscores its strategic importance in managing diversity within organizations. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.
