Purpose: This study examines how women’s leadership operates within a patriarchal social context and how gender power relations are negotiated in local governance, particularly in Dauh Puri Kangin Village, Denpasar, Bali. The research seeks to understand the strategies used by female leaders to navigate patriarchal norms and assess how their leadership influences governance practices and community participation.

Research Methodology: This study adopts a qualitative case study approach to explore women’s leadership within a real social and cultural context. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with female village heads, village officials, and community members. Additional information was obtained through field observations and document analysis related to village governance. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis and interpreted through the perspectives of patriarchy theory and gender power relations to understand how leadership practices interact with cultural norms and institutional structures.

Results: The findings indicated that the presence of a female village leader introduced a more participatory, inclusive, and collaborative governance approach. Women’s leadership encourages broader community involvement, including increased participation of women in village decision-making and social activities. However, patriarchal cultural norms and male dominance in informal decision-making structures still influence governance dynamics.

Conclusion: Women’s leadership can gradually reshape gender relations in local governance by fostering inclusive participation and negotiating patriarchal expectations through collaborative leadership strategies.

Limitations: This study focused on a single village case, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other sociocultural contexts.

Contributions: This study contributes to the literature on gender and governance by providing empirical insights into how women leaders negotiate patriarchal structures and promote more inclusive governance practices at the village level.