ABSTRACT

In this chapter, the author investigates leadership patterns in women's organizations by focusing on a case study of one organization in Lebanon. She depicts the background to patron-client relationships in Lebanon. Given that family structures in Lebanon are generally patriarchal (gender and age hierarchical, privileging males and seniors), the reproduction of familial moralities in dakakeen further reinforces the reproduction of the type of hierarchical structures of leadership found in the male patron-client based socio-political organizations. The lack of organizational charts, the vagueness of job descriptions and the unarticulated lines of authority leave staff and members vulnerable to the manipulations and behind-the-scenes operations of strong personalities. The organizational patterns observed in the Women's League resonate with the author's observations of many women's organizations and find parallels in men's patron-client based organizations in Lebanon. Such local cultures and global cultures, whether channelled through international organizations or colonial and neocolonial agencies, have a significant impact on women’s organizations.