Feminist Leadership

At the forefront of the leadership landscape, we find efforts and resources that recognize the pivotal role of leadership in institutional change, particularly in driving progress towards gender equality. However, there is considerably less emphasis on the specific contribution of leadership to achieving institutional change for gender equality. There are some persistent and well-documented leadership practices or initiatives for the promotion of gender equality—for example, the use of organizational data, human resource management, or training and sensitization. However, there are some practices that are more complex, focus on achieving deeper institutional change, and seem to present more challenges for leadership. 

The deeper, and perhaps more challenging, leadership practices range from making the case for gender equality to self-reflection and feminist leadership styles. These practices present substantial challenges for leaders as they demand not just adaptation but also critical thinking and the embrace of feminist leadership practices in challenging organizational settings. However, the resources supporting these transformative practices are less prevalent and more difficult to access than those for more conventional methods. 

To bridge this gap, we are nurturing, positioning and elevating feminist leadership practices that can catalyze transformative change. This encompasses an ongoing process of researching, defining, and promoting feminist leadership principles that are disruptive, defy normal, challenge the status quo and drive deeper institutional change. Our work is designed to provide a framework and roadmap for organizations and leaders to embrace a feminist leadership practices, supporting them navigate the complexities and nuances of such practices. In addition,  we are creating and delivering a suite of supportive resources that empower leaders to adopt and integrate feminist leadership practices into their work. This includes a cache of learning materials, training tools, and supportive resources specifically designed to help leaders integrate feminist leadership practices into their roles and organizations. Our efforts are filling the current void in the landscape, ensuring that leaders and organizations can access the tools, knowledge, and models required to adopt these transformative leadership practices.  

The goal of the feminist leadership portfolio is to amplify the effectiveness of feminist leadership practices, driving systemic change and advancing gender justice. Through this work, we are building a global hub of support for leaders and organizations willing to embark on a transformative journey committed to advancing gender justice. 

Key portfolio design principles include:  

• Focus on transformative change: We are a team of feminist and gender equality technical experts with a deep understanding of transformative change and the ability to effectively unpack gender equality issues and dimensions. We can leverage our long-standing understanding of how change happens to drive purposeful agenda forward.  

• Feminist pedagogy: We are skilled facilitators, which is crucial to driving deep, meaningful conversations and sparking change. Our approach of meeting people where they are, influenced by feminist pedagogy, ensures inclusive, collaborative learning experiences. We deliver functional, experiential, and beautifully designed experiences.  

• Intersectionality: Our deep understanding of intersectional feminism, enhances our capacity to approach and solve problems from multiple perspectives.  

• Skilled adaptation: Our comprehensive knowledge of the sector, including key actors and resources, enables effective communication of complex concepts and tailored approaches for different industries.  

• Practical learning experiences: At the heart of our approach is a commitment to translating theory and evidence into action by equipping individuals and organizations with tools, knowledge, and models that help them address gender inequalities in their work and maximize impact.  

• Embrace complexity: Our work is designed to provide a framework and roadmap for organizations and leaders to embrace feminist leadership incrementally, supporting them navigate the complexities of such practices.