Blanca Casares interview

Empowering women in rural areas: a key to rural development

GRASS CEILING partner Blanca Casares, Policy Expert at AEIDL (European Association for Innovation in Local Development), was interviewed by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) for a series of videos on women in politics, together with Ellen Nauta Van-Moorsel, member of the EU CoR and mayor of the municipality of Hof van Twente, in which they discussed the role of women in rural areas.

Women play a crucial role in sustaining, conserving, and developing rural areas, both culturally and economically. They are key to preserving and transmitting traditions and form a significant part of the agricultural workforce, supporting rural development amidst ongoing depopulation. However, they face substantial challenges due to prevalent issues in rural areas such as unemployment, poverty, inadequate transport, and the lack of essential, healthcare, and educational and social services. These difficulties are compounded by traditional mindsets that impose stereotypical roles, relegating women to subordinate positions in both private and public spheres.

Blanca Casares emphasized that women understanding of local needs positions them to create and drive initiatives that boost the local economy and enhance quality of life. Blanca noted the growing adoption of community involvement approaches in areas such as social innovation, new governance structures, and grassroots innovation. However, she highlighted a significant data gap, with few gender-differentiated statistics and no comparative studies on rural women across Europe. This lack of data hampers effective gender mainstreaming, obscuring the baseline needed to establish policy goals for supporting rural women. She stressed the importance of reviewing EU policies through a rural lens, incorporating rural and gender proofing to ensure these policies effectively address the unique challenges faced by rural women. Integrating a gender perspective into EU policies is essential for promoting gender equality and empowerment, particularly in regions grappling with depopulation. Strengthening women’s roles in public life should be prioritized, including the formulation of a new EU Gender Equality Strategy post-2025.

Have a look at the video.