Study on female leadership in the field: challenges and opportunities - Gastronomy Journal: Cooking, wine, gastronomy and gourmet recipes

A new edition of the Forum —promoted by Grupo Lence (Grupo Leche Río) and the consultancy Atrevia— which focused on the presentation of the II Rural Activists Observatory: female leadership in the countryside, which gathers the opinion of more than 200 people, 58.4% women, in municipalities of less than 10,000 inhabitants in the four Galician provinces.

Female leadership in the field

Among the results of this second edition of the Observatory, the following stand out:

In the area of ​​visibility and leadership.

• 65.6% of those surveyed consider the representation of women in decision-making bodies in rural areas to be insufficient.
• 62.4% perceive that women do not have the same opportunities as men to access leadership positions.
• 64.3% believe that women do not receive enough recognition for their work and contribution.
• 81.4% believe that structural barriers, such as the burden of caregiving, stereotypes or lack of training, limit female leadership.
• 90.6% agree that rural representative bodies should have a greater active and visible presence of women.

Regarding employment and economic autonomy.

• 91.4% believe that the rural economy cannot fully develop without the active and constant participation of women.
• 66% believe that the available aid and subsidies are neither sufficient nor accessible.
• 84.7% point to family responsibilities as a barrier to economic autonomy.
• 83% believe that the lack of support networks and mentorship hinders female entrepreneurship.
• 77.7% recognize that rural women suffer double discrimination, for being women and for living in rural areas.
• 87.4% attribute a transformative role to the companies that invest in them.

In the work-life balance and care section.

• Around 9 out of 10 people say that caregiving and housework still fall on women.
• 82.8% consider the childcare and elderly care services available in rural areas to be insufficient.
• 72.4% rate the current range of work-life balance services negatively.
• Nearly 9 out of 10 also support specific public incentives to encourage birth rates in rural areas.

And finally, regarding the future, despite these results, the outlook is cautiously optimistic:

• 3 out of 4 people would recommend that a young woman start a business or work in rural areas.
• Four out of five believe it will be a more attractive place for women in the next ten years.
• Regarding the most urgent actions to address, the participants identified work-life balance and access to financing, as well as public policies and connectivity, as the most decisive factors.
• As for solutions, 91.8% support public-private partnerships to empower rural women, with public administrations having the highest expectation of responsibility, followed by businesses, associations, and the rural community.

AUTOMATIC SYNTHESIS (AI)

The Second Rural Activists Observatory (Lence Group and Atrevia) has analyzed female leadership in Galician municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. The results reveal a marked gender inequality: the majority of respondents consider female representation insufficient and note that women lack the same opportunities and recognition as men. Furthermore, structural barriers and family responsibilities are identified as the main obstacles to their autonomy. Finally, the study concludes that the rural economy will not fully develop without active female participation.