Ainur Orazbayeva 2025. BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: EMPOWERING FEMALE LEADERSHIP IN CENTRAL ASIA’S MINING SECTOR: Received: 28th November 2024, Revised: 10th February 2025, 3rd March 2025, Accepted: 30th May 2025, Date of Publication: 12th November 2025. PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences. 11, 3 (Nov. 2025), 57–68. DOI:https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2025.113.5768.