Rural women account for about 22% of the global population. They play an important role in the health and wellbeing of their communities. Rural women can face challenges like higher rates of poverty (as both extreme and multidimensional poverty are higher in rural areas globally), as well as unequal access to education, health and other social services, and employment opportunities. Rural women can also experience gender inequality resulting from discriminatory social institutions, formal and informal laws, social norms and practices. Challenges can be even greater for rural Indigenous women and girls.
Despite these challenges, rural women are a driving force in improving the health and wellbeing of their communities.
- Rural women have key roles in ensuring food production, security and nutrition for communities in both rural and urban areas. Agrifood systems are a major employer of women. Globally, 36% of working women work in agrifood systems as of 2019.
- Rural women play a crucial role in conserving and cultivating biodiversity. They are custodians of natural resources and traditional knowledge.
- Rural women are central actors in rural health and care systems. Women globally make up 67% of the healthcare workforce and an estimated 70% of community healthcare workers. Community healthcare workers are often the only healthcare workers that rural people can access. Many community healthcare workers are not paid a fair wage. Rural women provide unpaid care work, taking care of children and the elderly.
- Rural women also have roles in other domains essential for health, such as water and sanitation services, zoonosis control, and occupational health, among others.
The International Day for Rural Women, first established by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007, recognizes “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including Indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”
This year’s theme, "Rural Women Sustaining Nature for Our Collective Future: Building climate resilience, conserving biodiversity, and caring for land towards gender equality and empowerment," highlights the pivotal role rural women play. On International Day of Rural Women (15 October 2024), we honor their contributions as agents of health and empowerment in their communities, working towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all.