Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Body Strategies Of Women Leaders (A Foucauldian Lens), Nyla Aleem Ansari

3rd IBA SBS International Conference 2024

There is a growing body of research that argues that gender not only bifurcates male and female leadership styles, but also discriminates against bodies of women and men. This paper presents accounts of body strategies by women leaders described as the self-surveillance mechanism offered by the paradigmic model of the Panopticon (Foucault, 1979). The study contributes to the literature of Foucault’s bio-power technology as a compelling explanation for women’s compliance and collusion to the patriarchal standards of femininity as leaders. Through feminist Foucauldian lens, I observed how senior women discipline their bodies through voluntary, social, and political controls (Bartky, 1988). …