Reimagining Leadership

This thesis examines how patriarchal leadership structures are reproduced or challenged within media institutions, with a focus on the music and film industries. Grounded in radical feminist theory, particularly the works of Millett, Acker, and hooks, it conceptualizes leadership as a gendered and ideological construct embedded in institutional logics. Through a qualitative comparative case study design, the research analyzes ESG and DEI documents from global media companies and Dutch cultural organizations. The study applies a five-pillar analytical framework to evaluate how institutions frame diversity, equity, and leadership. Findings reveal that while feminist language is increasingly present in organizational discourse, it often functions symbolically rather than structurally. Inclusion is frequently treated as a reputational concern or audit metric, rather than a process of redistributing authority or challenging masculinized norms. Public-sector institutions demonstrate some potential for participatory governance and accountability, though these efforts remain partial. The thesis argues that genuine feminist transformation requires reimagining leadership through collective responsibility, structural redistribution, and epistemic inclusion. It contributes to feminist media and organizational studies by offering a critical methodology for analyzing institutional texts and advancing a normative vision of leadership grounded in radical feminist ethics.