January 2024

Europe’s civil society plays a central role in bridging societal divides, by providing essential services at a large scale, but also by supporting democracy, nurturing solidarity and building support for systems change. However, too often the sector remains absent from key policy debates and does not feature high on the priority list of policymakers.

Over the past decade, the sector has provided opportunities for women to find meaning in their work and contribute to societal shifts. As a result, women are now the majority of workers in the sector and are increasingly occupying leadership positions.

This study, which represents the first-ever study of its kind, aims to take stock of the progress of the last decade, as well as identify remaining barriers and new opportunities for women CSO leaders in achieving systemic change in Europe. The idea for this study grew out of dozens of conversations we have had with our peer women leaders over many years. We surveyed 148 women leaders to find out more about how women leaders are handling what they report as increasingly complex demands, how they are experiencing life and leadership as women in 2023, how they are innovating and transforming working cultures and structures, and the challenges and barriers they are meeting on their way. Through 25 structured interviews and two focus groups we worked to draw out recommendations for what more can be done by donors, organisations, and wider society to support and invest in transformative, feminist women’s leadership. We also asked the women participating for their advice to other women and especially emerging leaders to start implementing feminist leadership.