The Oxford dictionary defines leadership as having the ability to lead. Everyone can do this, by being a captain of the netball team, part of the school council or just giving advice when you’re asked for it.
You don’t have to be the best or at the top to be a leader. Leadership is about participation, especially leadership in decision making.
Both men and women can be leaders. In the Northern Territory our Deputy Chief Minister is a woman and 40% of our parliament are women.
Often though, men are more likely to be in formal leadership positions or get paid to do them. This might be because women are looking after children and working, they may not know what is available or they may not have confidence in their skills.
Leaders make important decisions about what happens in our communities. Half of our population is women, but not half of our leaders. Women need to be more involved in making the decisions that affect their lives.
This website has information that may help you develop your leadership skills and get you involved in decision making.
If you have any suggestions or ideas about how we could improve this site, we would value your input.
Please contact us at owp@nt.gov.au.