The participation of rural women in public affairs is an important element of women’s development. Based on field data， this paper finds that with the transformation of grass-roots governance， not only has the proportion of rural women in village cadre positions increased， but also an increasing number of women occupy a core position in the power structure， leading to a noticeable phenomenon of “women in charge” at the village level. Compared with male counterparts， female village cadres emphasize service awareness and empathetic engagement， adhere to rules and boundaries， and exhibit characteristics of flexible， emotional， and normative governance. Under the transformation of grass-roots governance， village-level administration and professionalization of village cadres， village internal affairs have shifted from being dispute-driven to socially mobilized. To maximize family development benefits， women actively participate in village governance to achieve multiple， complex goals such as economic， nurturing， and caregiving needs. In terms of its impact， the participation of rural women in village governance contributes to the construction of responsive grass-roots government and equal village power structure， promotes pluralistic co-governance pattern， and enhances women’s voice in village affairs. As more and more rural women assume village cadre roles， the government should strengthen female leadership in rural governance and provide favorable external support systems for female village cadres.