Feminist values and the governance of feminist organisations

Abstract

Globally, diverse organisational structures and practices have emerged from the work of women’s organisations groups and networks. Evolving beyond collective working, feminist organisations have taken on complex dilemmas and demands to find ways of running services and centres consistent with feminist values. Governance – the contribution of charity trustees – is an integral part of providing assistance to survivors of sexual violence. What has not been attended to, whether by practitioners, social scientists or policy-makers, is the impact of feminist values on governance practice in charities dedicated to services for survivors of sexual violence. This briefing reports on a project to examine the integration of feminist values and the governance of charities for survivors of sexual violence in the UK; and highlights the implications for the training and development of trustees, and charity regulation.