Knowing, Being, and Doing Gender and Leadership: A Critical Feminist Exploration of College Students’ Gender and Leadership Identity Development

Abstract

Through an instrumental case study from a critical feminist lens, we explored college student gender and leadership identity development in a gender and leadership focused course. We examined FemCrit perspectives on knowing (exploration of socialization), being (reflection on identity development), and doing (recognition of gender performance and action of disruption) gender and leadership. We found indications that higher education professionals need to integrate gender and leadership socialization reflection. They should also create developmentally appropriate spaces for students from differing racial/gender identities to explore their gender and leadership understanding. Finally, educators should support students in capacity-building for recognizing performative gendered structures in leadership and encourage students to take action to disrupt and reconstruct leadership from a gender expansive frame.