Results from research on the existence of a veritable style of female leadership do not concur. Our research objective is to argue that displays of female leadership stem from women's "agency" according to the obstacles they encounter and the advantages at their disposal. Although theories about leadership have evolved over the last few decades to include a greater emphasis on the importance of the human dimension, an area traditionally linked with femininity, the model of the leader remains typically masculine. We put forward the idea of a behavioural, strategic and/or discursive positioning with regards to stereotypical representations, and suggest four types of strategies. We have attempted to verify this model with a study of recent articles in the French press on female leadership and a field study analysis of a student simulation of setting up a company.