Accounting for gender and sexuality in social work leadership: An exploratory study of lesbian leader perspectives

Cocker, Christine, Cooper, Adi, Hafford-Letchfield, Trish and Romeo, Lyn (2025) Accounting for gender and sexuality in social work leadership: An exploratory study of lesbian leader perspectives. British Journal of Social Work. ISSN 0045-3102

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Abstract

In a women-majority profession, white heterosexual men disproportionately hold senior leadership positions in social work and social care. Within the literature that examines diversity in leadership, including gender, less is known about sexuality and sexual identity. This study contributes to this area by exploring senior lesbian leaders’ experiences and perspectives on leadership in social work and social care. Their accounts of the leadership styles and approaches used helps to understand more about how being lesbian affects their experience of ‘doing’ leadership. Twenty-three senior lesbian leaders who were ‘out’ at work engaged in focus groups and semi-structured interviews across England. Thematic ‘framework’ data analysis generated key themes. These addressed the intersectionalities of leadership identity with gender, sexual identities and experiences of discrimination; the role and significance of feminist thinking; and a strong and consistent values base informing their lesbian leadership styles. Findings enable more nuanced thinking on the complexities of identities in social work and social care leadership and how these are enabled and supported within diversity and inclusion strategies.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	diversity,feminism,leadership,lesbian,lgbtqi+,public sector,workplace,sdg 5 - gender equality ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/gender_equality
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Social Work
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Research on Children and Families
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	18 Sep 2025 09:32
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2025 06:34
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100433
DOI:	10.1093/bjsw/bcaf200

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