Grassroots emancipatory practices shaping transformational feminist leadership among coastal women in Indonesia

Abstract

Women in Indonesian coastal communities face double marginalisation: on the one hand, they play an important role in the household economy and the fishing sector, but on the other hand, their contributions are often not recognised in formal policies and data. This study aims to understand how transformational leadership combined with feminist values can be a model of emancipatory leadership for marginalised women. Focusing on a case study of the Puspita Bahari community in Morodemak, Central Java, Indonesia, led by Mrs. Nu, this study uses a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis. The results show that the four dimensions of transformational leadership, namely idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualised consideration, are redefined through feminist values such as inclusion, empathy, and social justice. Mrs. Nu's leadership represents a form of community leadership that challenges patriarchal structures while building economic and social solidarity at the grassroots level. This study produced a conceptual framework of feminist transformational leadership that emphasises the integration of moral integrity, participatory vision, economic innovation, and collective empathy. Theoretically, this study expands the scope of transformational leadership theory beyond formal organisations by integrating it into feminist ethics and community agency. Practically, these results affirm the need for participatory and contextual empowerment policies centred on the life experiences of coastal women. This study provides empirical evidence from Indonesia supporting SDG 5, SDG 14, and SDG 11 by demonstrating how grassroots feminist leadership achieves measurable outcomes in coastal community empowerment.