Male-dominated and gender-segregated fields, such as the extractive industry, present key limitations for sustainable leadership opportunities and career growth for women. By identifying these existing barriers and addressing necessary actions to be taken, research findings show that success in this area largely depends on the collaboration of multiple stakeholders, that is, governments, corporations, higher education institutions and civil society organizations. This study will provide a qualitative assessment of current leadership and organizational discourse in order to build knowledge and understanding of the limiting factors and barriers that prevent women from embarking on a sustainable leadership pathway in the early stages of their career. These limiting factors are grouped into three categories, namely, sociocultural, corporate and governance factors. Some specific challenges identified by participants include maternal, family, cultural conceptions of gender roles and norms as well as workplace diversity. These variables all contribute to a gender and culturally normative ecosystem that present competitive barriers for career development for women.