Building a Theory of Young Women’s Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to begin to develop a theory of young women’s leadership in community-based and social justice spaces in Asia and the Pacific. This theory is long overdue. After all, the existing leadership literature predominantly considers those who are already broadly accepted as leaders, and tends to highlight the operation of leadership in formal and public spaces. Therefore, the bulk of the academic literature focuses upon leadership in corporate and business cultures, in formal politics and political organisations, and in the delivery of education. Predictably, this literature has a masculinist and ageist bias. It rarely conceives of, accounts for, or is inclusive of yo..