Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1993 > Committee on Women's Rights > Report No. 01 - Women and Rural Development

0. Report Structure

This report sets out the Joint Committee’s views on the issues facing women and rural development, having considered the consultants’ study on the topic. First, the background to the Joint Committee’s interest in the area is described, together with a brief description of the consultants’ study. Second, the Joint Committee outlines its conclusions on the position of rural women in Ireland today. Third, the Joint Committee sets out its views on public policy as it affects rural women. Fourth, the Joint Committee lists its recommendations in concise form, first in relation to the National Development Plan, and second as regards rural development policy in general.

1. Introduction and Background to the Study

Background to the Preparation of the Consultants’ Study

1.1Joint Oireachtas Committees on Women’s Rights have undertaken many studies to highlight the obstacles to the equal participation of women and men in all aspects of Irish life. It is generally accepted that policy initiatives directed at improving the status of women in Irish society have not benefitted rural women as much as other women and also that their situation has largely been neglected in research terms. In order to address this omission, the Third Joint Committee decided to identify the issues involved and examine them in greater detail. Accordingly, in 1992 that Joint Committee commissioned consultants to look at the position of rural women and at the role they play in the development of their areas. In May 1993, the consultants submitted their draft study to the Fourth Joint Oireachtas Committee on Womens’ Rights, which had been selected from the 27th Dáil and Seanad.

Terms of Reference

1.2The project proposal set out the detailed terms of reference. They were:

■to examine the situation of women in rural Ireland today;

■to review existing policy, statistics and research on rural development to draw out the major findings of relevance to rural women;

■to document the funding mechanisms available for rural development and their impact on women;

■to obtain information from a selected number of “key informants” on:

(i)the key issues facing rural women, focusing on access to information, funding and other services

and

(ii)their views on how their situation could best be improved;

■to undertake a survey of women in rural areas aimed at quantifying and validating the issues and potential remedies emanating from the analysis outlined above;

■to make recommendations on:

-filling the gaps in information, access to services and other obstacles which inhibit progress in the position of rural women in economic and social life;

-redirecting funds to better meet the requirements of rural women;

-steps required to ensure that the gender issue receives greater attention from policy makers, administrators and analysts working in the area of rural development;

-the need for further research.

Consultants’ Study

1.3The Joint Committee regards the consultants’ study as a comprehensive and wide-ranging examination of the issues facing Irish rural women. It covers the structural problems faced by women living in rural areas, which arise from their gender and where they live. The impact of public policy interventions on the position of rural women is also detailed. The Joint Committee regards the study as a valuable research work on the issues facing rural women and, for this reason, the study is reproduced in full in the Annex.

Joint Committee’s Choice of Conclusions and Recommendations

1.4.The Joint Committee decided not to comment on the consultants’ study in detail in this report. Instead, the Joint Committee highlights findings that it particularly wishes to endorse and also to have addressed by policy-makers and society in general. Finally, the Joint Committee builds on its conclusions by making a series of concrete recommendations to rectify the present situation.

Methodology

1.5.The information used in the consultants’ study was collected from two main sources. First, a review of all existing material on women and rural development - policy statements, academic and research literature, and published statistics - was carried out. Second, new material was obtained by the consultants by their sample survey of rural women. The Joint Committee note that the survey was conducted among women who were already active in their communities - Western Womens’ Link and the Irish Countrywomens’ Association - and advise that this should be borne in mind in interpreting its results. The Joint Committee regards the survey as having yielded useful and informative findings.

Relevance of the National Development Plan

1.6.The Joint Committee is aware that its consideration of the draft report has coincided with the formulation of the National Development Plan and its associated Operational Programmes. The Plan has a critical role in the allocation of development funds up to 1999 and is not covered in any detail in the consultants’ study. For these reasons, the Joint Committee decided to devote particular attention to the National Development Plan and its associated Operational Programmes. In the Joint Committee’s view, the process of the Operational Programmes affords policy makers and rural women a unique opportunity to discuss measures aimed at improving the position of rural women in their communities.

Acknowledgements

1.7.The Joint Committee wishes to thank its consultants, Mr. Jim Dorgan, Ms. Candy Murphy and Ms. Eileen Drew, for their valuable input to the Joint Committee’s deliberations on this topic and their preparation of the annexed study. The Joint Committee also appreciates the assistance given by the Committees’ Analyst, Ms. Úna Nic Giolla Choille in the preparation of this report.

2. Conclusions: Women and their Position in Rural Life

Subsidiary Status

2.1.The Joint Committee agrees with the consultants’ conclusion that the overall position of rural women in Ireland is, in general, one of subsidiary status, compared to both urban women and rural men. The Joint Committee would like to see this subsidiary status being rectified by an explicit commitment by Government, the public and private sectors, and community and national organisations to solve the problem and draw up a co-ordinated plan of action.

Barriers to Participation

2.2.The subsidiary status of Irish rural women partly results from the existence of formidable obstacles to their full participation in local and regional communities. Both the literature and the survey findings highlight the effects of these barriers on the involvement of rural women. The obstacles are caused by many factors - poor mobility, the need to care for dependents, lack of information, isolation and low levels of confidence, among others. The Joint Committee feels that the twin problems posed by responsibility for dependants and lack of mobility are so fundamental as to need specific emphasis. All these factors reflect the subsidiary status of rural women and the resulting barriers to participation reinforce that status. In this way, rural womens’ problems form a vicious self-reinforcing circle which, the Joint Committee feels, must be addressed by policy makers.

Non-Recognition of Rural Womens’ Input

2.3.The Joint Committee agrees with the consultants’ conclusion that the present contribution rural women make to the economic life of their areas is underestimated or completely overlooked. As an example of this phenomenon, the Joint Committee instances the effective underrecording by official statistics of the input of rural women into farming enterprises. The totally different pictures shown by Censuses of Population and Labour Force Surveys of the Central Statistics Office on the one hand, and the Farm Structure Survey conducted by Teagasc on the other, were used by the consultants to illustrate the point. According to the former, in 1986 seven percent of the total number of persons engaged in agriculture were women (11,400). Yet the Farm Structure Survey of 1991 shows that 27% (107,000) of the total number of persons involved in agriculture are women. The reason for the discrepancy between these sources is that the Census does not adequately provide for the recording of part-time and for unpaid work by women on farms. This results in non-recognition of womens’ economic contribution to farming and rural life in general. The Joint Committee would like to see increased recognition of rural and farming womens’ input, in official statistics and throughout the public domain generally It views the media as having an important role in this regard.

3. Conclusions: Women and Rural Development Policy

Womens’ Involvement in Rural Development Policy

3.1.The Joint Committee agrees with the consultants’ conclusion that the role rural women are capable of and wish to play in rural development policy is not being seriously addressed in either the design and implementation of policy. The Joint Committee is concerned about this omission and urges that the relevant bodies take action. The Joint Committee believes that if they do not do so, not only will rural development policy continue to be unequal insofar as the treatment of women is concerned, but it will also be less effective.

Evidence for the Omission of Women from Rural Development Policy

3.2.Evidence for the omission of rural women from the policy arena comes from a number of sources. First, at a general policy level, there is no formal indication that the barriers faced by rural women are recognised and addressed. Second, there is no evidence of a widespread commitment towards the participation of rural women in schemes already in place, whether by targeting them with information or reserving a quota of funding and/or places for them. Third, where funding is provided - by the EC for such schemes as the New Opportunities for Women and Local Employment Initiatives - the Joint Committee feels that the amount of funding provided is far too low (£600,000) and should be increased substantially. Fourth, both the design and implementation of rural development policy is fragmented - across many different organisations and geographical units. Fragmentation of policy execution usually militates against success, but it especially impedes the delivery of information to and participation by rural women. This disproportionate effect on women is due to their reduced mobility and participation in rural life generally compared with rural men. Fifth, any review of the involvement of rural women in rural development measures is constrained by the non-availability of relevant data. Finally, rural women are not adequately represented on boards of Government bodies or private organisations active in rural development. All of these omissions must be addressed by a comprehensive and coordinated rural development strategy for all rural dwellers, but especially one targeted at both rural women and rural womens’ groups.

Opportunity Afforded by Common View of Development

3.3.The Joint Committee is interested in the similarities identified by the consultants between present rural development policy and the development models associated with womens’ groups. According to the consultants, rural development policy “involves a multi-sectoral approach to economic development which has social and cultural as well as economic objectives…[and which]… is based on the close involvement of rural communities in its planning and implementation”. Within the economic component, the emphasis has shifted from traditional agriculturally-based enterprise to non-farm and alternative farm activities based on small-scale industries or services. This concept fits in with rural womens’ groups approach to development, which stresses participation, is based on the potential of small-scale rural businesses and is also inclusive of non-economic issues.

3.4.The Joint Committee believes that this coincidence of approach affords both policy makers and rural women an opportunity to cooperate on the formulation of rural development policy and to increase the participation of rural women in the development process. The Joint Committee endorses the new concept of rural development and proposes that the bodies responsible for rural development formally include it in their rural development plans and measures and engage in dialogue with womens’ groups and all rural people on this basis.

Inclusion of Women In Rural Development

3.5.From the point of view of equality and also to maximise the success of rural development policy, the Joint Committee believes that women must be consulted at a general and specific level in the design and implementation of rural development policy measures. The Joint Committee urges that their participation in rural development schemes and programmes be increased. The Joint Committee suggests that an acceptable start could be made by reserving funding quotas and/or places specifically for rural women on such programmes.

Recognition of Barriers to Participation in Policy

3.6.The Joint Committee has emphasised critical importance of the barriers to womens’ participation in rural life, especially the care of dependents and poor mobility. These barriers also affect womens’ participation in rural development. In fact, if development measures addressed towards rural women do not explicitly address these barriers, their success will be reduced. One suggestion is to cover all the participation costs of rural women, including the expenses they incur to overcome poor access and to care for dependents. Lack of mobility can be addressed by helping women to travel and/or delivering the required services to them. Many solutions are possible - for example, involving increased use of existing assets such as post-buses, school buses and mobile libraries. Existing networks can be used by broadcasting relevant TV and/or radio programmes. The telecommunications network can also provide information by establishing a low-cost telephone information line or by using Minitel or new computer networks. Some of these options have the added attraction of attracting funding on the basis of the enhanced skills needed to operate them.

National Development Plan

3.7.It is imperative that rural women are involved in the rural development strategy adopted in the National Development Plan and its associated Operational Programmes. The Plan has already issued and establishes priorities for all development and infrastructural expenditure during the period 1993 to 1999. Funding allocations will be made accordingly. Once the Operational Programmes have been drawn up and agreed, it may prove difficult to find the additional resources for measures addressing womens’ role in rural development within the Plan framework. The Joint Committee welcome the commitment in the plan to gender proofing all Structural Fund Programmes but would like to see a more pro-active perspective adopted. The Joint Committee urges that a meaningful process of consultation be carried out and that measures aimed at entrancing the participation of women in rural development be included. The Joint Committee’s particular concerns about Structural Funds were conveyed to the Ministers involved.

Monitoring the National Development Plan

3.8.The Joint Committee feels that ongoing monitoring and review of the impact of the National Development Plan on rural women is vital. It welcomes the commitment in the Plan to monitor both the Plan and Community Initiatives to determine compliance with the principles of non-discrimination and equality of opportunity. Given the consultants’ discovery that there is little data available on the participation of rural women, the Joint Committee urges that the relevant Departments collect the data necessary to fulfill the Government’s commitment to monitoring.

4. Recommendations

In relation to the National Development Plan, the Joint Committee recommends that:

1.rural womens’ views and needs should be incorporated into the rural development component of the Local Development Programme and the Operational Programme for Rural Development by means of a genuine consultation process;

2.a specific proportion of the fund for the Small and Community Enterprise Subprogramme of the Operational Programme on Rural Development should be reserved for projects involving rural women and that organisations responsible for promoting the Subprogramme actively target rural women for information delivery and increased participation;

3.funding under the Small and Community Enterprise Subprogramme of the Operational Programme on Rural Development and under the Local Development Programme should be extended to meet expenses incurred by rural women on the backup facilities they need to participate;

4.an agri-tourism scheme exclusively targeted at rural women should be devised for inclusion in the Farm Diversification Sub-programme of the Operational Programme;

5.women should be encouraged to participate in the post-graduate course at University College Cork in co-operative organisation, food marketing and rural development by extending the existing European Social Fund funding to cover the additional costs of attendance by rural women;

6.a handbook detailing the sources of funding, services and relevant organisations to the rural development process should be prepared by the Department of Agriculture under the Operational Programme for Rural Development;

7.funding be allocated for schemes involving rural women as part of the measures put in place under the Local Development Programme, especially in the scheme for Area-based Local Development targeted at disadvantaged areas;

8.funding for Special Community Initiatives relevant to the needs of rural women be increased and that the Government actively promote these schemes to ensure maximum take-up;

9.the principle of gender proofing apply to the principle and practice of the Leader programme and it should be amended, if necessary, to ensure that it does not effectively discriminate against women.

In relation to rural development policy in general, the Joint Committee recommends that:

10.rural womens’ views, needs and ideas should be incorporated into the design and implementation of rural development policy and its associated measures;

11.Government recognises that all future policy initiatives affecting women and their role in rural development should, as far as possible, address the impediments to participation caused by the lack of mobility and responsibility for dependents and that all Government Departments and agencies incorporate the mobility and dependent care requirements into the analysis and design of relevant measures;

12.each agency responsible for rural development should recognise the desirability of including rural women in all aspects of their work and actively seek to increase their participation pending the development of coordinated response to rural development;

13.bodies with nominating power to boards and committees responsible for funding decisions in the rural development area would observe the spirit of the Government’s commitment to achieving a minimum of 40% female representation on the Boards of statesponsored bodies by nominating women, where possible;

14.Government should design and/or fund practical cost-effective measures to improve women’s access to information; the Joint Committee suggests that a start could be made by considering the feasibility of the provision of a low-priced telephone call service to selected relevant information sources, of the use of the broadcasting network and of increasing the use of existing facilities;

15.the attention of the funding agencies be drawn to the absence of data for evaluating programmes relating to women and rural development and that these agencies put monitoring mechanisms in place for existing and future schemes;

16.an appropriate formal structure for the co-ordination of rural development policy analysis and formulation needs to be designed; accordingly, the Government should set up a Rural Development Council to serve these functions.

Approved by the Joint Committee on 15 December 1993

Theresa Ahearn, T.D.

Chairperson.

15 December, 1993.