This chapter explores women’s movement emergence, and the role of organizations, leadership, and coalitions in women’s mobilizations. It begins by discussing the factors that influenced the emergence of the first and second waves of feminist organizing. The chapter also presents debates around organizational structure within the women’s movement and the contributions that both informal and formal organizations make to women’s movement mobilization and success. The next section examines the important roles that women have played as leaders in a range of movements, critical in mobilizing support, developing movement strategies and frames, and sustaining women’s mobilizations over time. Finally, the chapter discusses factors facilitating women’s coalition formation, and the social movement communities of which these coalitions are a part. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of how future research can further increase understanding of how resources, organization, and leadership influence the dynamics of women’s mobilization.
