Abstract
Purpose This study examines how ethical leadership (EL) influences employee engagement (EE), organizational commitment (OC), and turnover intention (TI), and investigates the mediating roles of human resource management (HRM) practices and job satisfaction (JS) among female employees in the hospitality sector. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 702 female employees working in hospitality organizations in Türkiye. Structural equation modeling was used to test direct and parallel mediation relationships among the variables. Findings The results show that EL strongly enhances employee engagement, primarily through job satisfaction and perceived HR practices. In contrast, its effects on organizational commitment and turnover intention are limited, and the mediating roles of HRM and JS are not supported for these outcomes. These findings suggest that ethical leadership is more effective in strengthening short-term psychological engagement than in shaping long-term structural attitudes in contexts characterized by sectoral constraints. Originality/value By integrating Social Exchange Theory and Ethical Climate Theory, this study demonstrates that ethical leadership operates both as a relational mechanism and as a system-level process. It highlights boundary conditions under which ethical leadership translates into sustainable organizational outcomes, particularly in structurally constrained service settings.