Leadership Practice

A Study of Women's Leadership in Rural Organisations in India. This quantitative study by CORD is a part of a larger collaborative study being conducted by Sadhbhavna Trust and Gender at Work, in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

Very limited knowledge about the leadership practices in rural women-led organisations is available in the public domain. This study seeks to fill this gap and examines the leadership practices of women who have emerged from rural and semi-urban contexts and are heading rural based organisations. The study included both quantitative and qualitative dimensions and was carried out in three States of North India- Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The overall study is being collaboratively undertaken by Gender at Work and Sadbhavna Trust, which is the implementing partner in India.

The quantitative part was done by CORD and profile of such leaders were developed and also provided a background to the qualitative study. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to build a profile of women leaders. The aim was to reach out to 25 women led rural organisations in each state (a total of 75 organisations) and approximately 150 women leaders were interviewed. A key outcome of this study was an analytical report which draws on the detailed qualitative information gathered as well as provides a macro picture of women-led organisations and women's leadership practices through the quantitative study.