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Feminist
Principles |
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The
Feminist Principle of Leadership
As
feminists, we acknowledge that all women have the capacity to become leaders.
We may be formal or “public” leaders, such as coordinators and
presidents, or informal leaders, such as key volunteers or committee members.
Often we develop our leadership abilities in these roles over time, as
our understanding deepens through experience.
As feminists, we strive for democratic practices and processes built upon our feminist principles. Within feminist organizations, leaders work from a vision of shared power, providing opportunities for all members to develop and use their leadership skills. This idea may feel unfamiliar at first, as we often think of leaders in the traditional sense: a handful of people with high-ranking positions who have claimed the most power within their organization. Power is not shared in these structures, because being successful means always competing to be “number one.” We may expect that feminist groups will be problem-free, or that we will create inclusive environments by virtue of our collective work. As women, we must acknowledge that we come from different experiences of leadership, and that our practices are informed by traditional, hierarchical structures. Sometimes we repeat the very practices we dislike, even when we are trying to do things differently. We may encounter other challenges, including women who bring destructive behaviours stemming from issues or a lack of power within our personal lives into our organizations. As feminists, we need to explore and discuss our ideas about leadership to avoid falling into negative patterns within our organizations. We need to examine the structures we have come from, and consider how our experience informs our current practices. Leaders of feminist
equality-seeking organizations are accountable not only to our members
and service users, but to the global movement for peace, equality and
justice. We typically expect our leaders to ensure that our organization’s
finances are in good order, projects are on track, and public relations
are effective. Feminist leaders are also responsible for ensuring that
the perspective and analysis of our equalityseeking Within equality-seeking organizations, we may expect that our feminist members will not struggle with issues of power. Leaders need to be aware that power dynamics happen in any organization, and that some women are supportive while others are more comfortable with conflict. For example, a woman may gain power through manipulation, claiming disempowerment when she cannot have things her way. We may become so afraid of conflict that we stop challenging, allowing individual women to take power away from our organization. This does not serve our collective interest, as our work toward equality and inclusion becomes lost within our own practices. We may feel uncomfortable with power struggles, but we are more at risk when we do not challenge exclusionary or destructive behaviours. Feminist leaders challenge destructive patterns that emerge, while continuously drawing on the skills and talents of women in our group. Feminist leaders are
committed to practicing feminist principles and guiding members in understanding
our feminist basis of unity. For example, by respecting our differences
and validating our contributions leaders make our organization safe for
all women. Within the feminist practice of leadership, leaders are members
of a team of women working toward a common goal of equality and inclusion.
Each woman on the team has
source: PACSW pdf document (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
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return to Feminist Principles index page Page last updated July 20, 2003
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