Empowering women to control and change their lives continues to be an important goal for many nations. This article examines the empowering effects of being selected and trained to lead rural schools in Bangladesh, using survey and interview data from 152 village women working with the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee education programme. The adoption by women of the traditional male roles of teacher and educational leader combined with a commitment to serving the poor have led to the widespread acceptance and normalisation of non‐traditional roles for women in conservative village culture. The study confirms the need for a holistic approach and context sensitivity when designing change initiatives to empower women and promote gender equity.