Crafting Power: Cis and Trans Women’s Leadership in the Pursuit of Equity and Transformation

Abstract (English)

Women, both cis and trans, are crafting power across social, cultural, economic, and political spheres, challenging existing structures to advocate for equal representation and rights. Their leadership is pivotal in advancing equity and transformation across various energy, work, activism, health, and education sectors. By elevating women to leadership positions, organizations can foster inclusive decision-making, innovative problem-solving, and the dismantling of traditional gender norms, paving the way for future generations. However, power remains a central theme in leadership dynamics, with significant disparities in how power is experienced and accessed by different genders, and influences women’s likelihood of occupying leadership roles. These disparities contribute to the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles. Women are still underrepresented in leadership positions, even though there are persistent biases against them in high-level leadership positions and progress has been made in society toward gender equality. The panel is a proposal to add to the discussion about gender differences in organizational settings. Cis and trans women's empowerment is crucial for achieving equity and transformation. Enabling women to make autonomous decisions fosters creativity and entrepreneurship, ultimately benefiting society and the nation. This discussion emphasizes resilience and strategies in diverse movements and contributions to policy reforms, community organizing, and institutional transformation. By centering the lived experiences of cis and trans women, this analysis underscores the importance of inclusive leadership in fostering systemic change and reimagining power beyond patriarchal and binary frameworks. This panel addresses the urgent need to understand the barriers limiting cis and trans women’s access to power. By bringing together researchers, practitioners, and activists, it aims to foster a nuanced dialogue on crafting inclusive and equitable systems of power across spaces such as universities, academia, scientific institutions, politics, and beyond. Through this discussion, we seek to amplify the voices of cis and trans women leaders, explore their transformative impact, and propose pathways for collective empowerment and systemic change.

Objectives:
To critically analyze the structural and cultural barriers that limit cis and trans women’s access to leadership roles and positions of power, focusing on intersectional challenges and systemic inequalities.
To examine effective strategies employed by cis and trans women to rise to leadership roles, challenge traditional power dynamics, and change power dynamics.
To explore the transformative impact of female leadership across sectors, such as public policies, business and educational models, and in building a more equitable society.
To reflect on the ongoing challenges cis and trans women face in exercising power and to propose pathways for overcoming these challenges through solidarity, collaboration, and collective empowerment.
To amplify the voices of cis and trans women leaders and foster a dialogue on crafting inclusive and equitable systems of power in spaces such as universities, academia, scientific institutions, politics, and beyond.