Empowering the Unseen Pillars: Uncovering the vital contributions of rural women amid persistent challenges
The 15th of October marked the International Day of Rural Women. As a commemoration of the commitment of women in some of the most remote areas of the world, PBI UK takes a deeper look at the contributions of rural women on a global level, and some of the obstacles they face
By Amal Namugga
During a speech at Islamia College in 1940, Muhammad Ali Jinnah proclaimed “no struggle can ever succeed without women”. This quote has been echoed across generations, reiterated now by Malala Yousafzai, a woman in the 21st century. Although this change in oration represents a shift towards female liberation in western society, the same cannot be said for most women in developing nations. Poorer regions have not fully achieved gender equality, and across all societies men earn more women. However, discrepancies in education, health and bargaining power in local politics tend to be greater in countries with low GDP per capita. International Day of Rural Women, adopted by the UN General Assembly Resolution in its resolution 62/136 on 18th December 2007, acknowledges “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty”. It is well-established that women make up more than 40% of the agricultural workforce in developing countries, the most economically crucial sector. These figures range from more than 50% in African and Asian countries to 20% in Latin America. Despite their critical contributions, women own less than 20% of land. The issue of land ownership is deeply rooted in public discourse and social norms, where women are socially lowballed and disregarded, which demonstrates the need to bridge the gender equality gap and improve the living standards of rural women. As the people on ground, rural women, including indigenous women, play an imperative role in eradicating poverty within communities and implementing sustainable policies on national, regional, and global scales. Therefore, it’s only fair that their voices are heard.
Girls and women living in rural regions are subjected to multi-dimensional poverty which intensifies concerns associated with limited involvement in decision-making processes, specifically those linked to property rights. The Women, Peace and Security Index reported troublesome figures of women’s access to land and other assets, hindering countries from reaching the Sustainable Development Goal of gender equality. In Guatemala, less than 8% of land is owned by women. The National Union of Guatemalan Women (UNAMG), an organisation that supports women land rights defenders in El Estor, reported that women who advocate for land rights in Guatemala are faced with risks of stigma and sexual abuse. UNAMG’s Genoveva Marroquin Chavez stated, “we as women are even more affected”. While no dependable data on the incidence of gender-based violence for cross-country analysis exists, attitudes towards such violence varies with economic growth. It therefore follows that rural women at the lower end of GDP per capita are exposed to additional obstacles.
Governments need to pay greater attention to the empowerment of rural women in socio-economic and political contexts, to promote their equal and full participation in decision-making. This translates into the formation of assistance programs, women’s consideration in local policies, and consultative services to support commercial skills across microcredit, financial procedures, modern trading, and other business services. As there is an overwhelming connection between economic advancement and gender equality, the execution of these initiatives is a pivotal step in not only meeting the global commitment of gender equality, but also ending global poverty.
Many of the human rights defenders who PBI provides support and protection to are women living in rural areas, and standing up for peace, justice and a healthy environment in their communities and across the world.
This is why PBI is calling for the UK Government to:
Produce an Open Societies, Democracy and Human Rights Strategy with the support, protection and engagement of human rights defenders as cross-cutting priority at the strategy’s core, and which is adequately funded and gender sensitive.
Pass a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act to make human rights and environmental supply chain due diligence mandatory for UK businesses. Consult human rights defenders (and particularly women defenders in rural areas working on issues related to corporote accountability) regarding any legislative process.
Take concrete steps to ensure that the policy ‘UK Support for Human Rights Defenders’ is implemented in a way that responds to the specific and heightened risks facing rural women defenders.
Develop specific foreign and development policies to ensure gender equality and a gender-responsive approach to economic development, that address women’s access to land, resources, and decision-making processes, and to ensure that women and girls have access to land and resources.
