The significance of leadership in women’s efforts to combat eviction

Leadership is an issue that is not often discussed in the literature on women’s empowerment. This absence resembles Vetter’s (2010) discussion of the lack of leadership studies in feminism. In various references it is assumed that it is NGOs that encourage collective agency among women (Grabe, 2012; Hainard & Verschuur, 2001; Jurado, 2013; Kilby, 2011; Nikkhah, Redzuan, & Abu-Samah, 2012; Rowlands, 1998). Although in Kampung Rawa the role of NGOs is visible in empowering women, here I argue that the issue of leadership significantly influences women’s agency in shaping their strategy. The agency of women is also shaped by their interactions with leaders, both male and female, in their own community.