In politics, attention is often placed on the personal qualities of leaders – strategic thinking, the ability to persuade, or resilience. Yet, something else proves to be equally vital: the environment of trust and support fostered through networks.

Sweden demonstrates that women’s networking in politics is central shifts in a country’s political culture.

As of 2025 in Sweden:

These achievements are the result of years of work to support politicians who are women, through exchange of experience and strengthen cooperation across party lines.

 

From an Idea to a System

In 2006, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) set itself an ambitious goal: to make women’s political leadership both visible and influential. Just a year later, the first three-year network was launched, bringing together 25 political leaders who are women from different municipalities, regions and from seven political parties.

Their meetings were about sharing experiences and supporting each other as leaders. Participants spoke candidly about the challenging incidents, the daily life in their municipality, about overcoming crises, and learned how to exercise power in ways that achieve tangible results for their hromadas. Each gathering had its own theme: “My mission as political leader today and in the future,” “Political leadership,” “Power and decision-making,” “Communication.” A strict rule of confidentiality allowed participants to exchange experiences freely.

The network highlighted:

After three years, the network’s results were documented in a special publication featuring the stories and portraits of the political leaders and articles about modern leadership. The publication was distributed to all local and regional authorities to influence the process of forming party lists with women on the top. The 2010 elections saw a record number of women elected to mayors in municipalities and regions.

This experience shows that a network is not about the number of contacts but about the quality of support. For women and leaders in Ukraine, the following may be particularly crucial:

 

The Ukrainian Dimension

Today, Ukraine is launching its own initiative. The ‘Women in Governance’ Network, established as a joint initiative of the nationwide local government associations with the support of the Polaris Programme Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine, closely mirrors SALAR’s approach. Its mission is to support participants not only consolidate their individual positions but to foster a culture of equality, find allies, and grow into stronger leaders – from the local to the national level.

The Swedish experience shows that networks are not a mere add-on but a vital prerequisite for sustainable political leadership. They not only support women leaders but also transform governance approaches.

Ukraine already has its first examples of women’s networks in politics. The next step is to ensure their sustainability and strategic development – a move towards a new culture of leadership and decision-making.

Advice from Lena Lindgren, responsible for Political Leadership, Democracy Section, SALAR, on creating an atmosphere of trust and effective cooperation within the network:

• Listen to each other
• Learn from each other
• Support each other
• Give everyone time to speak
• See everyone in the group as colleagues, not political opponents
• “What happens in the room stays in the room” – you can only talk about what you have experienced and said, not what someone else has said
• Share experiences – Bring up different situations and talk about different topics, it could be taking care of injured people, children at school, decisions that need to bemade.

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  This article is based on the experience and recommendations of Lena Lindgren, responsible for Political Leadership, Democracy Section at the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), at the inaugural meeting of the ‘Women in Governance’ network.