INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP
THROUGH A FEMINIST LENS
FEMINIST LEADERSHIP
2012 L.E.A.P. Conference
Background & Introductions

Introductions

Basis for workshop
 Our
structure in the Women’s Center
 Challenges

Observations
 Heroic,
individualistic, hierarchical leadership practices
are prevalent and repeated
 Gender roles are prescribed and followed
Quick Introductions
1.
2.
Name & Department
What sparked your interest in this session?
Assumptions & Disclaimers

Leadership and feminism are both highly personal as
well as emotionally charged topics
Practicing self care, recognizing the importance of voice
 The personal IS political, risk & confidentiality


Feminist leadership is more than leadership style based
on female socialization


Yet there are differences between men and women based
on sex (biology) and gender (social construction)
While we’ll refer to women in leadership in several of
my examples, we believe that men can also be profeminist and lead with feminist goals in mind

Beware of the gender binary and stereotypes
Differentiating Feminine from Feminist

What are stereotypical gender roles?
Feminine
 Masculine



“Gender role expectations spill over onto leadership
roles… and produce important consequences” (Eagly, 1995)
Albino (1999) notes “leadership styles usually associated
with women are often employed by effective leaders of
either gender.”
A leadership style that confirms to the way women are
expected to behave, whether attributed to nature,
socialization, or gender role, is not the same thing as a
style that is feminist.
Differentiating Feminine from Feminist

Feminine:
 Defined
by behaviors presumed to characterize women
 Fails to make salient women’s lesser power as compared
to men
 Fails to acknowledge heterogeneity

Feminist:
 Defined
by a set of assumptions and values
 Pays attention to empirically validated historical and
contemporary circumstances and power inequities
 Despite differences among feminist theories, there are
central points of agreement.
Definitions


Definitions of Feminism vary widely and can be
intensely personal
Our Definition:
Feminism is a social movement whose goal has been, and
continues to be, women’s social, legal, political, economic,
and cultural equality.
 Feminism is the movement to end sexist oppression.

The Feminist Lens

Described by Barton (2006)
as:
A
political and a social way
of thinking
 A “radar” or “set of
antennae
 Used to identify issues of
oppression at a personal,
group, or institutional level
Am I a Feminist?
“It’s a question I’ve dodged many times. This
avoidance only adds to the reasons I should
become more aware. I know the stereotype that
goes along with the ‘feminist’ label. I’m not an
extreme person, but I realize that gender seems to
play an unnecessary role in too many facets of my
life. It angers and then confuses me when I think of
this and all the cues that are so ingrained into our
culture for me to notice.”
From Gmelch “Gender on Campus”
Why Feminist Leadership?

General agreement that women historically have
more barriers to becoming leaders then men do.
(Eagly & Johnannsen-Schmidt, 2001)

However, much of existing leadership
literature has been created by men and
studied men in leadership roles
The Power of Connecting Leadership to Feminism

Leaders can promote social change
 Feminism
is a social movement that has social change
as its goal
 Feminists recognize and respect multiple communities
(remedies should reflect realities of intersectionality)
 Positional leadership opens the potential for women
to act on feminist goals
Principles of Feminist Leadership

Fairness, Justice, Equity
 “Feminist
leadership is about social justice, about
advocating for women and others who are
marginalized, and about attending to injustices”
(Barton, 2006)

Community Development & Collaboration
 hooks
(1994) “everyone’s presence and participation
must be valued”


Shared Power, Empowerment
Authenticity
Authenticity


Authentic leaders “know who they are, what they
believe and value, and… act upon those values and
beliefs while transparently interacting with others”
(Avolio, Gardner, Walumbwa, Luthans, & May, 2004,
p. 803)
Bennis (1997) pointed out that “the best leaders have
worked hard to know and understand themselves and
their strengths, what they believe, and what they care
about.”
Dyad Sharing
1.
2.
3.
What differences have you observed in the
leadership styles of men and women?
Is there such a thing as good feminist
leadership or is it just good leadership?
How is implementing feminist leadership
possible in a traditional hierarchy (top-down
structure)?
The Revolution in Leadership Research
Then
Now
The Historical Structure of Leadership Research
A World Anew in Leadership Research
Focus on Leaders
Study Leaders as Individuals
Examine Power & Hierarchy
Non-Hierarchical
Collective
Process-Centered
Context-Bound
Mutual Power & Influence
Search for Universal Characteristics
Relational Leadership

“Leadership is a relational and ethical process of
people together attempting to accomplish positive
change.” Komives, Lucas, McMahon (2006)
Komives S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. (2006) “Exploring Leadership : For College Students Who Want
to Make a Difference”
Social Change Model
Komives S. R. & Wagner, W. (2009). “Leadership for a Better World: Understanding the Social Change
Model of Leadership Development”
Exercise
Values Clarification
“To be a feminist is to value…”
“As members of this equality-seeking organization, we
value…”
Guidelines:
- One concept per post-it note
Feminist Principles for Groups







Accountability
Advocacy
Challenge and Conflict
Choice
Consultation
Diversity
Education and
Mentoring






Equality and Inclusion
Evaluation
Joy and Celebration
Leadership
Power Sharing
Safety
PACSW
(http://www.pacsw.com)
Feminist Leadership Group Assessment
PACSW, 2003
Discussion & Final Thoughts
Sources Cited
Albino (1999) Leading and
following in higher education
Barton (2006) Feminist
Leadership: Building Nurturing
Academic Communities
Bennis (1997) Managing People
is like herding cats
Chin, Lott, Rice & Sanchez-Hucles
(2007) Women and
Leadership: Transforming
Visions and Diverse Voices
Eagly, Karau, Makhijani (1995)
Gender and the Effectiveness
of Leaders: A Meta-Analysis
hooks (1994) Teaching to
Transgress
Gmelch (1998) Gender on
Campus
Komives, Lucas, McMahon (2006)
Exploring Leadership: For
College Students Who Want
to Make a Difference (2nd ed.)
Provincial Advisory Council on
the Status of Women
(PACSW) “Feminism: Our Basis
of Unity”
http://www.pacsw.com