Women’s leadership in politics and governance: understanding the potential of transformative feminist leadership
Volume 33, Issue 2 | July 2025
While women and gender diverse people have long struggled for a greater voice in politics, when they do lead, the impact is positive for the whole of society - not just for women. The articles in this collection focus on the collective efforts by women, Black and Indigenous in particular, trans persons, LGBTQI+ persons, and other historically marginalised groups, towards advancing political participation and leadership through legislation, policies and advocacy in governmental, organisation, and movement spaces.
The authors in this publication are practitioners, scholars, activists, and grassroots political workers who discuss how advocates, mostly in the global South, are actively working to bring marginalised voices to the fore and ensure that they are able to claim their space in political processes, build power and advance political goals, as well as promote community leaders in elected office. Their research draws lessons from policy and practical experiences to strengthen, and expand the theory and practice around transformative feminist leadership.
This issue aims to counter fear and despair with resistance, assertion, and hope for a more-inclusive and equitable political future.
Gender & Development is published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis. If you are interested in subscribing to the journal, please visit the Routledge website. (Please note the reduced subscription rates available for low and middle-income countries.)
Below, you can find free access to the Introduction, four articles, and the Resources and Book Reviews sections of the issue.
For free access to all of the articles, visit the Oxfam Policy & Practice website and search using the article title.
Articles
Women’s leadership in politics and governance: understanding the potential of transformative feminist leadership
Peggy Nash, Tainah Pereira, Jennifer Smout, Shivani Satija & Anandita Ghosh
Depatriarchalisation and Bolivian women leadership: transforming politics across international, local, and everyday
Alyssa Ribeiro Perpeto Trotte
'The role of feminist transformative leadership for democratic improvement: learnings from Mexico’s political parity
Paola Rebeca Moreno Sandoval & Dafne Dzoara Pimentel Corona
Voices from the margins: the role of decolonial feminism in transforming leadership in the global South
Md Akidul Hoque, Md Samiul Azim & Farida Parvin
Sites of transformation: queer and feminist leadership in Kenya’s social justice movements
Wevyn Muganda
Challenging the status quo: feminist leadership and political transformation in Brazil
Hannah Maruci Aflalo
Seeds of change: cultivating feminist leadership in the co-operatives of the MENA region
Dina Najjar, Dorsaf Oueslati, Hajer Ben Ghanem, Rola Amil, Jihad Ait Hssain, Zakaria Nidkazza, Brahim Benrais, Rajae Kallida & Nada Oussoulous
Mentorship and inter-generational learning as catalysts for feminist leadership in Zambia
Zangose Tembo Lumbwe
Feminist transformative leadership for health equity in the Asia Pacific region
Johanna Riha, Zaida Orth & Pascale Allotey
Leadership dynamics in health: a social network analysis of men and women leaders in RMNCAH-N and immunisation in sub-Saharan Africa
Katherine Banchoff, Angelica Lopez Hernandez, Sualiha Abdulkader Muktar, Choolwe Jacobs, Malanto Rabary, Rosemary Morgan & Anna Kalbarczyk
‘We aren’t even allowed to dream of a future in politics’: gender disparities in Indian youth political interest, engagement, and aspirations
Sara Wilf & Shevika Mishra
Women’s political empowerment in Latin America: have civil liberties turned into political power?
Alexandra Jima-González, José Ángel Alcántara-Lizárraga, Kendra D. Carrión-Vivar & Sergio Rubén Oliva-Ballesteros
Exploring the Tripartite Challenge of Political Participation for Ethiopian Muslim Women
Halifet Ayemohammed
Unpacking feminist transformative leadership from the global South. Experiences from marginalised groups in Argentina
Lucía Martelotte, Agustina Rossi & Delfina Schenone Sienra
Perspectives and challenges of Indigenous women leaders of Ecuador in their political representation
Gabriela Gallardo Lastra, Karen Ochoa, Rina Pazos & Katy Machoa
Resources
Here you can find additional materials related to the issue. These are compiled by Anandita Ghosh and Shivani Satija
Book Reviews
Artificial Women: Sex Dolls, Robot Caregivers, and More Facsimile Females by Julie Wosk. Reviewed by Ika Aprianti Usman, Muh Akbar & M. Iqbal Sultan
Women Winning Office: An Activist’s Guide to Getting Elected by Peggy Nash. Reviewed by Niddhi Tandon