In India, and globally, conversations about leadership still carry an invisible bias: leadership is imagined in masculine terms – decisive, dominant, individualistic.

Women who lead are often celebrated as “exceptions,” icons who defy the odds. While their stories inspire, they inadvertently reinforce a problematic norm: that women leaders are rare, extraordinary, and heroic.

But what if leadership itself were redefined? Leadership does not only live in the spotlight. What if we shifted our lens to everyday leadership, quietly, persistently, and often invisibly exercised in homes, schools, panchayats, and communities across India? Leadership is not only about titles or formal authority; it is about the courage to convene, listen, and act to create change.

At 21, Reena from Bihar is pursuing her BA after marriage, determined to become a teacher. A member of a small farmer’s family,  she also actively works with Meena Manch, a girls’ club that challenges societal norms.

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/herstory/2026/01/why-womens-leadership-must-shape-indias-future