Presentation Title
Women and Gender Studies and the Potentiality of Feminist Leadership
Document Type
Poster Session
Department
Leadership and Organizational Studies
Faculty Mentor
Elizabeth Goryunova, Ph.D.
Keywords
Women and Gender Studies (WGS), feminist leadership, leadership development, feminist theory, feminist pedagogy
Abstract
Graduates of Women and Gender Studies (WGS) programs gain skills that aid in the development of a feminist leadership, a leadership practice that is committed to challenging oppressive structures and institutions and empowering others to reach their full potential. Through semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study explored the experiences of five graduates of WGS undergraduate programs in the Northeast region of the United States whose post-graduation work across a variety of professional fields has offered them opportunities to practice feminist leadership. While research on both WGS and Leadership is abundant, this research addresses the gap in the literature on feminist leadership and how it is practiced in both formal and informal ways in gendered organizations in a gendered society. The analysis of data collected from these narrative interviews revealed themes that include the impact of feminist pedagogy in the classroom, the development of language skills needed to navigate issues of difference, the importance of mentorship, and the value of gaining a deeper understanding of structural inequality in our systems and institutions.
Included in
Leadership Studies Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Women's Studies Commons
Women and Gender Studies and the Potentiality of Feminist Leadership
Graduates of Women and Gender Studies (WGS) programs gain skills that aid in the development of a feminist leadership, a leadership practice that is committed to challenging oppressive structures and institutions and empowering others to reach their full potential. Through semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study explored the experiences of five graduates of WGS undergraduate programs in the Northeast region of the United States whose post-graduation work across a variety of professional fields has offered them opportunities to practice feminist leadership. While research on both WGS and Leadership is abundant, this research addresses the gap in the literature on feminist leadership and how it is practiced in both formal and informal ways in gendered organizations in a gendered society. The analysis of data collected from these narrative interviews revealed themes that include the impact of feminist pedagogy in the classroom, the development of language skills needed to navigate issues of difference, the importance of mentorship, and the value of gaining a deeper understanding of structural inequality in our systems and institutions.
