These 8 women are leading social impact organizations that were led predominantly by men before they arrived

Authors Brennan Doherty & Kylie Adair
What makes a good leader? Eight women leaders weigh in

Why It Matters

Womenโ€™s leadership in social impact organizations could help communities build back differently, if not better, than they were pre-pandemic. Because of the ways women are socialized, research shows their leadership styles tend to differ from menโ€™s. This yearโ€™s International Womenโ€™s Day arrived in the midst of a very different reality from last yearโ€™s.

Women have led Canadian communities through the ups and downs of the pandemic, from public health to policy to the social impact worldโ€™s response. While the social impact world itself is primarily made up of women, its leadership has traditionally been predominantly male and white. But things are changing.ย 

Meanwhile, many other women have suffered disproportionately through the pandemicโ€™s reverberating social and economic effects โ€”ย making womenโ€™s leadership in the social sector all the more relevant.

The world of Canadian social impact certainly has work to do on womenโ€™s leadership โ€”ย particularly on making space for the leadership of women of colour โ€”ย these eight women are forging a path forward in the meantime.ย 

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Grace Le

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