EXTENDED SUMMARY

This study focuses on a historically significant, rights-based struggle in the field of occupational health and safety, emphasizing its impact on women workers and the development of female labor leadership. Centered on the historical case known as the “Radium Girls,” the study explores how occupational diseases, gender-based labor struggles, and leadership intersect in this unique narrative. In the 1920s, female workers in radium dial factories in the United States, unaware of the dangers of radioactive exposure, suffered serious health consequences due to inadequate occupational safety measures. Their determined fight for justice not only led to critical legal reforms and industrial health regulations but also offered profound insights into the nature of women’s leadership in labor movements.

This article employs thematic content analysis to examine a contemporary cultural product inspired by the Radium Girls—namely the Turkish theater play “Bir Peri Masalı: Radyum Kızları (A Fairy Tale: Radium Girls)” written by Karden Kasaplar. The analysis identifies leadership themes emerging from the characters and narrative of the play. Drawing from leadership theories such as authentic leadership, transformational leadership, and servant leadership, the study explores how the female protagonist Mae embodies elements of these leadership styles. Themes such as “being aware of one’s weaknesses,” “knowing oneself,” “being listened to,” “resilience in struggle,” and “storytelling as wisdom” were particularly prominent in the text.

These thematic findings suggest a holistic form of leadership where emotional intelligence, narrative power, and moral clarity come together. Mae’s character, for example, functions not only as a communicator but also as a wise storyteller—a role rarely examined in conventional leadership models. In her actions and dialogue, she inspires her fellow workers, strategically plans their legal case, and articulates their pain and hopes in a language that transforms private suffering into public resistance.

The study also situates this leadership analysis within the historical framework of women’s labor movements. Drawing on feminist historiography and labor theory, it acknowledges the broader socio-economic conditions that shaped women’s participation in industrial labor during the early 20th century. It traces the transition from informal roles to formal leadership, showing how women like those in the Radium Girls case developed organizing skills and political consciousness through their direct engagement with injustice. Historical figures such as Katherine Wiley and Dr. Alice Hamilton—both key supporters of the Radium Girls’ legal struggle—serve as real-world examples of institutional and scientific leadership by women in a time when such roles were rare.

This case contributes to ongoing discussions in feminist leadership studies, particularly those examining how marginalized women exert informal power and foster collective action in male-dominated environments. It also engages with literature questioning whether perceived “natural” leadership traits in women are suppressed by systemic gender biases. By bringing forward the narrative of the Radium Girls as represented in a creative theatrical format, the study demonstrates how stories of female resilience and leadership are transmitted across generations and mediums.

Methodologically, the article uses qualitative document analysis, supported by historical sources and primary scientific reports from the 1920s. These include original publications by Drinker et al. and Martland et al., who scientifically documented the effects of radium poisoning, as well as Kate Moore’s comprehensive historical account The Radium Girls (2016) and Carole Langer’s documentary Radium City (1987). By integrating scientific, historical, and artistic data, the research offers a multidimensional portrayal of women’s leadership in labor history.

The findings reveal that the leadership demonstrated by the Radium Girls and those who supported them—both in history and in the play—encompasses courage, collective action, emotional awareness, and moral responsibility. The leadership style identified is not strictly transformational or servant-based, but rather an amalgamation that highlights the unique ways in which women lead under conditions of oppression and invisibility. In particular, the ability to “name the invisible,” such as giving voice to occupational hazards, emerges as a political and psychological breakthrough—what Thebaud-Mony (2012) refers to as making the socially invisible visible.

In conclusion, the Radium Girls case—both as a historical event and a cultural narrative—offers rich ground for analyzing how female labor leadership develops and manifests in contexts of extreme vulnerability. The study contributes to feminist labor historiography and leadership theory by foregrounding a holistic and context-sensitive understanding of how women lead for justice, health, and dignity. It affirms that women, through collective memory, storytelling, and moral agency, have shaped not only labor law but also leadership paradigms that continue to inspire.