Gender, Ethnicity, and Leadership in the Narratives of Meranao Women in the Philippines

Abstract

The study focuses on site-specific narratives about leadership and how these narratives are influenced by gender and ethnicity. It explores the intersections of gender and ethnicity as a point of inquiry in the emerging roles of Meranao women in the field of leadership. Drawing on qualitative interviews with seven Meranao women leaders in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, in The Philippines, this paper examines the multilayered issues and challenges the women face in the field of leadership as they leap into higher decision-making positions. The study seeks to identify the factors that shape the leadership experiences of Meranao women leaders and their performative repertoire. The women choose these actions to create and maintain the commitment of the constituents around them. The study also seeks to examine how women leaders are able to perform their leadership roles given the opportunities and constraints. Finally, the study articulates the ways in which Meranao women are etching leadership in Meranao politics and development. Results show that intersectional approaches to investigating leadership, taking into account the interconnected and overlapping factors of gender and ethnicity, can not only reveal the issues and challenges Meranao women leaders face, but also the individual agencies and strategies they use to overcome such constraints. The intersectionality approach challenges the essentialist framing of leadership and emphasizes the individual’s social location, as reflected in the intersecting identities of these women. This intersectionality, as I reveal, allows for the emergence of a negotiated form of leadership among Meranao women, which requires a delicate balance between meeting social expectations as women and fulfilling their roles as leaders.