The paper focuses on identifying the importance of women's well-being in leadership positions at higher educational institutions in Uzbekistan and Poland. This study helps to provide a deeper understanding of the characteristics that successful women leaders possess to be more productive and effective in their jobs. It is based on the following questions: What is the level of well-being of female leaders in higher education in Uzbekistan and Poland? Are female leaders of universities in Uzbekistan and Poland self-motivated and content enough with their jobs? What is their relationship like with their employees? What motivates them most to perform better at work? 

Conceptual framework

Today, the concept of leadership has become very popular and it is important to acquire leadership skills to become more productive and efficient in any job. To be successful in a world full of competition and maintain the quality of services or products, one should own values such as honesty, integrity, trust, caring, and compassion (Brown and Townsend, 1997; Sale,1997; Swann, 1998 cited in Bezzina and Michalak, 2006).  Interestingly, much research on leadership tends to focus on how leaders should care about their team members, and employee wellbeing in organizations and their personal and professional development, which is a right and essential activity to increase the productiveness of the staff (Avey et. al., 2010; Guest, 2017). However, it is worth highlighting the importance of the psychological well-being of leaders who are supposed to manage their challenging responsibilities since leaders' negative emotions affect subordinates and their health, as well as productivity at work. Hence, there is a strong relationship between leadership behavior and employee well-being (Zineldin and Hytter, 2012). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the psychological well-being of female leaders in higher educational institutions.
Having considered the significance of leaders’ well-being, and keeping in mind that education is one of the most challenging work environments, and the contribution of education leaders is huge, it is critical to understand the general well-being of education leaders. Moreover, according to the economic empowerment goals of UN WOMEN “Empowering women in the economy and closing gender gaps in the world of work are key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”(UN Women, 2021).

Well-being at work has a three-dimensional perspective in literature. The first dimension of wellbeing focuses on subjective experiences and work performance, with contentment and dedication identified as crucial components of workplace happiness. The second component examines employee well-being from the standpoint of health, both physical and mental, taking into account factors such as stress, anxiety, and work weariness. The third component is about relationships, and social welfare is characterized by the quality of interactions and connections between employers and employees, between colleagues, or inside the organization (Pagán-Castaño, Maseda-Moreno & Santos-Rojo, 2020)

It is well-known that gender equality and women's leadership are connected. Although gender equality is being enforced in many developed and developing countries, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions in various companies, educational institutions, and the political sector. Based on the S&P 500 list of companies with women in CEO positions (as of January 2021), only 6% of CEO positions are held by women. (Catalyst, 2021). Barriers to accessing leadership positions, challenges, and stereotypes towards women are widespread in different societies (Balajadija, 2020). These factors put pressure on women and can affect their performance at work. So identifying at least the psychological well-being would help to solve the problems and take the necessary measures. 
Thus, it is worth exploring the field of women leaders and their well-being to strengthen women's empowerment and inspire more women to become future leaders in Uzbekistan and Poland.

The study used a self-reported questionnaire for a quantitative survey. The strategy was chosen on the basis that gathering data on the self-reflection and well-being of female leaders in higher education is an important first step in gaining a deeper understanding of the psychological conditions that characterize the practice of the profession. Furthermore, from a practical sense, the strategy enabled us to collect data from female leaders in the most efficient, secure, and accessible ways possible. This was one of the very first studies conducted in the field of pedagogical leadership in higher educational institutions in Uzbekistan. Moreover, this study compared the findings with the ones collected in Poland. The aim of this research was to explore the well-being of women leaders and to compare the results in two contexts. Therefore, the survey was conducted among female leaders in different leadership positions (course director, deputy dean, dean, deputy rector, head of department) in higher educational institutions during March, April, 2022, initially as a pilot study in Uzbekistan and Poland. In addition, it was planned to conduct the research in other regions in the form of interviews in both countries in the later steps of the study. The respondents were selected from among those who have at least one year of experience in leadership positions. At the same time, the survey was distributed among those who have recently resigned from their position or who have had at least three years of leadership experience in the past and are now continuing their career in another position. In addition, the questions were asked in the languages Uzbek and English in Uzbekistan, and Polish in Poland. It should be noted that the survey questions were created based on the summary of the book: "Authentic Educational Leadership. The challenges ahead", written by Christoffer Bezzine and Joanna M. Michalak, published in 2006. There were usually multiple-choice questions and some open-ended questions to find out the general well-being of women leaders. In total, the online questionnaire included 25 questions aimed at analyzing the mental and moral state of female managers as well as the level of job satisfaction in both countries. In addition, the questionnaire included questions on self-motivation, stress management, and the style of cooperation with employees.

It is important to emphasize that Uzbekistan is a developing country that is still cultivating the concept of gender equality in relatively slow steps. Moreover, the number of university places is limited, and only a few years ago only 10% of applicants were admitted to university (Cytlak and Mamadaminova, 2021), and only 37% of university students were female (Egamberdieva, 2021). Although many reforms in education have taken place in Uzbekistan recently, it is obvious that the number of female university graduates and female managers is far from equal for various reasons. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that despite the challenges Uzbek women face in their careers, the number of female leaders in various fields is increasing (Iskandar kizi, 2021). In view of the above, it is expected that the presented study will shed light on the issues of Uzbek women leaders and their overall well-being as well as the effectiveness of their leadership skills. Besides, It will compare the findings with the ones collected from Polish universities. Thus, it is expected to make an important contribution to the existing sociological and cultural knowledge and research areas of Turkic and European countries in relation to women's empowerment and gender equality. At a time when a young country like Uzbekistan is developing in all spheres of life, it is essential to address issues such as women's empowerment, as women have a great impact on society. The current research on the well-being of women leaders in education will help to understand the challenges of women in education and society, which in turn will help to address the country's social and economic problems. Furthermore, the comparative work highlights the points to identify the differences in well-being among female leaders in Asian and European countries, in the example of Uzbekistan and Poland.

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