WORLD PULSE AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF WOMEN LEADERS

The different stories of change reflect and provide insights on ways women lead and govern in their respective communities; the stories paint a rich and complex portrait of leadership. The women are resilient and creative as they navigate and address challenges in largely patriarchal societies to reach positions of influence.

Inviting women leaders to share and voice their perspectives acknowledges and celebrates their contributions in promoting gender equity. The leadership roles women play accelerates the process of bringing about gender equality and good governance by demonstrating to both men and women the qualities that women demonstrate as leaders. As role models to the younger generations, it is important to document the experiences of these women leaders to inform, educate and inspire a critical mass of new leaders who can influence the agenda for peace, development and prosperity across the world.

The stories shed light on the challenges women leaders face as they rise to leadership positions in diverse cultural, social and political settings globally. Gender inequality continues to subordinate women in all aspects of their lives. However, even where inequality is prevalent, these women leaders have found the courage and fortitude to overcome the obstacles they face and have their voices heard. They are able to tap into resources that may not be visible but are important and too often overlooked. Indeed these stories inspire other women to assess their rights as women and become champions for change.

While it is difficult to generalize the experiences of women, it is possible to identify certain common obstacles and opportunities. What frustrates and facilitates women’s aspirations to become leaders is part and parcel of their experiences as girls and women. Each woman leader recognizes that a critical mass of women leaders is necessary to bring about change to challenge the status quo and even the playing field. Women recognize the role of culture in their subordination but are loath to condemn culture unilaterally since they acknowledge that their identity as women is derived from this very context.

Bridging this contradiction between fulfilling their gender roles given certain cultural expectations and their leadership responsibilities constitutes a major dilemma for women in leadership positions. The stories reveal that their strategies are often based on accommodation, adapting to the existing environment, negotiation, bargaining with the existing environment for a satisfactory result, rather than confrontation as they build a foundation to create alliances for a new generation of women willing and eager to take on leadership roles.

While accommodation and negotiation are key to achieving their goals, women leaders have also been uncompromising on issues that are overt manifestations of gender oppression such as gender-based violence. Their road to leadership has often been lonely because they are few and considered the exception rather than the rule. A striking feature of the storytellers is the optimism that the future will be easier for women who will follow them and their hopefulness is rooted in their knowledge of the harsh realities their fellow women and mothers faced. They want a brighter future for girls and young women and they feel responsible for sharing the burden of making this future a reality.

Thank you to all World Pulse Community for sharing inspiring stories of change and thanks to the secretariat for the space.