Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Role of rural women in the sustainable development of EU agriculture'
Date: 2000-05-24
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: farming sector, gender equality, participation of women, rural development, sustainable development, vocational training

18.7.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Role of rural women in the sustainable
development of EU agriculture’

(2000/C 204/07)

On 21 October 1999 the Economic and Social Committee decided to draw up an opinion, under
Rule 23(3) of its Rules of Procedure, on the ‘Role of rural women in the sustainable development of EU
agriculture’.

The Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was instructed to prepare
the Committee’s work on the matter, adopted its opinion on 10 May 2000. The rapporteur was
Mrs Borrego Izquierdo, who was replaced by Mrs Sa´nchez Miguel following the section decision on
19 April 2000.

At its plenary session of 24 and 25 May 2000 (meeting of 24 May) the Economic and Social Committee
adopted the following opinion by 109 votes to one, with two abstentions.

1.

Introduction

2. Objectives of the opinion

Equal gender rights and opportunities have been and
1.1.
will continue to be international, Community and national
objectives, and were first acknowledged on paper in the
founding Charter of the United Nations in 1946. Since then
there have been many initiatives, policies and standards
designed to achieve gender equality. Examples include the
Treaty of Rome in 1957 (1) and the recent Treaty of Amsterdam
in 1997 amending the Treaty on European Union and the
Treaties establishing the European Communities, as well as
various blueprints for equality in the intervening period (2).

1.2.
Before Agenda 2000 was adopted, existing EU policy
for rural women was not fully implemented in practice.
The most noteworthy instruments are as follows: the rural
development policy under the section of Agenda 2000 devoted
to the CAP, the CAP reform decided by the Berlin European
Council on 24 and 25 March 1999 (3), Council Regulation (EC)
No 1257/99 of 17 May 1999 on EAGGF support for rural
development, and Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/99 of
21 June 1999 establishing general provisions on the Structural
Funds.

(1) Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome — the basis for European equal
opportunities policy stipulating that the principle of equal pay for
male and female workers is applied — has become the cornerstone
of a genuinely social-oriented policy.

(2) Currently, the Fourth Community action programme on equal

opportunities (1996-2000).

(3) The new rural development policy under the CAP includes among
its objectives the improvement of living and working conditions
and equal opportunities.

2.1.
This opinion is designed to provide a clearer picture of
the situation and role of women in the EU’s rural areas, given
the scant attention paid to the impact of diversification on the
range of jobs available to rural women and to how the different
employment and training needs of women are addressed in
rural development strategies.

2.2.
Since no recent data (essentially statistical data) are
available, our approach will be to examine the real situation,
needs and aspirations of rural women in order to attain a two-
fold objective: to identify and highlight a) the experiences of
women living in the EU’s rural areas in relation to training and
rural integration, and b) the obstacles these women face in
finding paid employment and work in the formal economy.

2.3.
Similarly, the opinion seeks appropriate solutions for
recognising the important role played by women in the
sustainable development of rural areas and possible ways of
improving their professional, political, economic and social
status.

3. Women and development in the EU’s rural areas

3.1. Women as mainstays of rural development

‘rural women’

the concept of

3.1.1.
The information available focuses on women farmers
is not
and childcare, but
synonymous with ‘women farmers’. Although women farmers
account for a large proportion of the women who live and
work in rural areas dependent on agriculture, the current
opinion adopts a broader perspective, addressing matters
relating to the overall development and diversification of rural
areas.

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3.1.2.
The term ‘women farmers’ covers women working
in agriculture, as owners, joint owners, or spouses of farmers
working full-time or part-time on the holding. Analysis of the
statistics shows that they account for a third of the agricultural
workforce. Out of this 34 %, only 10 % are owners, although
the proportion of
female farm managers varies between
Member States. There are two groups of countries, a) those
lagging behind in structural terms where the percentage of
female owners is generally higher than the Community average
and b) those with a specialised and intensive agriculture where
the percentage tends to be lower.

3.1.3.
The new Regulation on rural development [(EC) No
1257/99] incorporates many of the principles adopted at the
Cork conference in 1996. These include the need for a
sustainable rural development policy, a multi-disciplinary and
cross-sectoral response, and, as a result, an integrated approach
and support for diversification, proper use of natural resources,
and enhanced subsidiarity and participation by involving local
government.

which should serve as a basis for the introduction of local
projects (2).

Versatility is inherent in the rural environment. We
3.1.8.
firmly reconcile agricultural and rural development
must
policies as part of an indivisible whole since although agri-
culture is currently the backbone of the rural environment, in
the more or less distant future this situation could change,
particularly in the most depressed regions. The only regions
which will be able to meet the challenge of competitiveness
will be those which have managed to restructure their farms
and diversify their economies, setting up a strong business
fabric capable of satisfying the needs of the population, and
where women play the special role they deserve as the
mainstay of sustainable living.

3.2. Changes in rural Europe

It is worth highlighting the crucial role which rural
3.1.4.
women could play in the range of measures contained in
Article 33 of the above regulation (1), in agri-environmental
policy, in Agenda 2000 and the recent CAP reform.

Rural society is undergoing significant changes as a
3.2.1.
result of its thorough restructuring. Such changes include
fewer farmers, ageing population, depopulation and loss of
cultural identity.

3.1.5.
Given the diversity of the EU’s rural areas, rural
development policy must follow the principles of subsidiarity
and complementarity based on cooperation between all levels
concerned (local, regional, national and European).

3.2.2.
Although in recent years there has been a marked
improvement in rural infrastructure and facilities, areas which
are in many cases already severely depopulated are continuing
to lose people, with the added problem that the youngest and
most dynamic groups are the most difficult to retain.

3.1.6.
The multi-functional nature of agriculture needs to
be brought to the fore, drawing inspiration from the declar-
ation issued at the Luxembourg European Council on 12 and
13 December 1997.

The aim is to adopt an integrated approach for a
3.1.7.
multi-functional agriculture capable of boosting the develop-
ment of rural areas and their populations. The agricultural
process, however, hinges upon natural resources, so not all
rural areas have the same opportunities for development. They
each have their own individual profile and intrinsic features

The causes of

3.2.3.
this phenomenon include lower
income and employment expectations in some cases and more
restricted access to facilities and services such as education,
health, culture and leisure, society’s lack of respect for farm
work and rural life, and the social conditioning problems faced
by many women.

The growing number of women in paid employment
3.2.4.
is also affecting rural areas and at the same time women are
increasingly promoting renewal initiatives. This means that
women must increasingly be regarded as agents of social and
economic change and that any move to renew disadvantaged
areas and to encourage local development must take into
account factors which encourage women to stay on in and
return to rural areas.

(1) Article of the regulation focusing solely on rural areas and
containing a set of measures for their development. These include:
marketing of quality agricultural products, basic services for the
rural population, diversification of agricultural activities and
activities close to agriculture to provide alternative sources of
income, encouragement for tourist and craft activities, farm relief
and farm management services. etc.

(2) For more information on multi-functional agriculture, see the
opinion on A policy to consolidate the European agricultural
model (OJ C 368, 20.12.1999, p. 76), and the opinion on Agri-
environmental priorities for the multi-function agriculture of
Agenda 2000 (OJ C 368, 20.12.1999, p. 68).

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4. Education and training

4.1.
A key factor of development is education and training
for people living in rural areas, to the extent that education
and training are regarded as the main pillars of future EU
development. This is acknowledged by the EU Council in the
White Paper on European social policy which states that
investment in education and training is an essential prerequisite
for EU competitiveness and cohesion in our societies.

4.2. While the importance of
training as a source of
development is widely acknowledged in all sectors of economic
activity, it is an urgent need in rural areas where, as a result of
the changes occurring in rural
life and its specific socio-
economic features, training provides a basis on which to build
future development.

4.3.
According to the information report on the Role of
women in economic and social life and, in particular, their
‘training and careers
integration into the labour market,
guidance should be specially tailored to women’s needs, and
facilities should be sufficiently spread around the country.
Training for women should not only cover the skills needed
for a particular job, but should also take account of general
and basic educational objectives. This would make up for any
gaps in general education (in particular among women who
are completely or functionally illiterate), and would not only
equip women for a job, but also help them realise their real
capacities and potential. This would boost their motivation
and their desire to improve themselves and progress in their
careers’.

4.4. Within the dual training systems administered by some
Member States, the main problem is that not only do rural
women, essentially due to their age, have no access to regulated
vocational training conferring an official qualification, but also
those who get into vocational training obtain only certificates
of aptitude for employment and their training is not officially
recognised. It should also be noted that rural women are
offered training in very few subjects, which underscores the
need for training in all professions where these women are
under-represented, in all cases tailoring training to meet real
needs in each region and standardising certificates to ensure
that qualifications are recognised outside the geographical
place of study (1).

It is worth highlighting the crucial role that distance-

4.5.
learning can play in rural areas.

4.6.
In most regions of the world, women receive much
less of an academic education than men and this is more
pronounced in rural areas. Vocational training in most EU
Member States has more of a city focus which is ill-adapted to
training needs in rural areas. Education is necessary for
agricultural and not just industry-oriented training.

Community programmes such as Leader+ (2) do much
4.7.
to promote rural development. By providing skills and training
in innovation and technology,
they can help to buttress
women’s role in rural economies (3).

4.8.
There is also the Equal programme, with a general
budget for women, people with disabilities and ethnic min-
orities.

5. Employment

It is a fact of life that in rural areas women are much

5.1.
more affected by unemployment than men.

5.2.
The difference between employment rates in rural
regions and cities is linked not only to rural life but also to
gender.

5.3.
Another factor influencing the difference in employ-
ment rates is age. This is because rural women devote less time
to training as they usually go out to work earlier in life.

5.4.
Female participation rates in the three main sectors of
the economy — agriculture, industry and services — show the
high proportion of women working in services and the gradual
increase in rural tourism.

5.5.
Rural women are mainly employed in unskilled and
low-skilled jobs and the main obstacles facing women seeking
work are: insufficient sources of employment, transport dis-
tances and difficulties, inadequate support services and facili-
ties, unequal distribution of responsibilities in household and
family chores,
lower salaries than for men, and cultural
attitudes.

(1) This echoes the Commission’s White Paper on Growth, competi-

tiveness and employment.

(2) The guidelines for the Leader+ programme have been approved.
These are designed to provide priority support for pilot strategies
for boosting the intrinsic potential of rural areas.

(3) The Committee’s opinion on Leader+ (OJ C 51 of 23.2.2000)

makes specific reference to the needs of rural women.

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5.6.
The Luxembourg Extraordinary European Council
meeting on Employment (20 and 21 November 1997) (1) laid
down the basic guidelines for 1998, with emphasis on
Section IV on Strengthening the policies for equal oppor-
tunities.

6.1.2.1.
The disparate nature of statistical sources makes it
practically unfeasible to carry out a comprehensive comparison
of the data supplied. Moreover, not all sources treat the
position of men and women differently.

5.7.
Female-run cooperatives are playing an essential role
in job-creation and the economy in production regions,
supplementing purely agricultural activity by the production
and marketing of crafts, for which there is currently a huge
gap in the market, and by offering services specific to rural
areas, such as agri-tourism. Although these cooperatives are
not established to the same extent throughout the EU, the
Member States in which they have most impact on agricultural
activity are the most effective on the production and commer-
cial front. This demonstrates their significant contribution to
agricultural development and the viability of farm holdings.

6. Problems specific to rural women in EU agriculture

6.1. Ownership of holdings

6.1.1.
One of the problems faced when undertaking any
research into the agricultural sector is that it is difficult to
ascertain the human resources available to agriculture in the
various countries. The differing forms of status within the
sector (owner, farm manager, family help, wage-earner, etc.),
the level of involvement (part-time, main occupation, full-
time, permanent, occasional (full-time, main occupation, part-
time (including atypical contracts), permanent, seasonal, etc.),
the lack of any clear distinction between agricultural, food
production and craft activities, and the use of special social
security schemes as a refuge scheme, are some of the factors
which make it difficult to identify agricultural workers. The
problem is even more acute for women, since their input into
agriculture has tended to be overlooked and since there is no
clear distinction between work carried out on the farm as such
and household chores or certain rural tasks.

6.1.2.
account:

The following key factors should also be taken into

6.1.2.2.
Taxation is another factor that can conceal male
participation. Many of the transfers of farm management
between spouses, generally when the husband’s main activity
is outside the agricultural sector, are designed to distribute
income and reduce the family’s tax burden.

6.1.2.3.
The same applies to the operation of the special
agricultural social security scheme. This scheme is used by
women working in agriculture to guarantee their entitlement
to retirement pensions.

6.1.3.
In EU countries, family holdings provide the basic
structure for the agricultural holding. In the EU, there are
seven million holdings, 67 % of which cover between one and
ten hectares, i.e. they are family farms, and five million of these
are concentrated in the southern Member States, namely Italy,
Spain, Greece and Portugal. This reflects the history, culture
and identity of EU agriculture. Their existence is, however,
under threat due to a lack of awareness and understanding of
their role and place in agriculture, essential to the preservation
and development of rural life (2).

6.1.4.
It would be helpful to pinpoint those women who
contribute to the economic activity of holdings, as they
account for around half the total contribution to agriculture,
national economies and the EU economy. It would then be
possible to determine the work carried out by female wage-
earners and farm owners.

6.1.5.
The work of women farmers in family holdings is
doubly invisible as not only does it include household chores,
but also a large proportion of production-related tasks which
therefore,
are difficult
undervalued and underestimated.

to quantify. Their contribution is,

6.2. Rural women within the social security system

The difficulty in explaining the social security situ-
6.2.1.
ation of rural women in the EU is reflected in the variety of
social security schemes applicable to them. In simple terms,
women can subscribe to a general scheme covering all workers,
irrespective of their activity or where the activity is performed,
and a special scheme, with various permutations, correspond-
ing to a range of activities including agricultural work.

(1) 1998 was the year for consolidating the process of recognising
equal opportunities as a crucial component of the European job-
creation model.

(2) Statistical source: Eurostat — Europe in figures, 5th edition.

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6.2.2.
The general social security scheme confers social
benefits on its members distinguishing them from those
covered by special schemes and providing considerably better
coverage for women employed in agriculture, as it grants them
health protection in the event of illness, maternity, holidays,
pensions, etc.

7.3.
It is vitally important to make rural life appealing,
ensuring the provision of basic infrastructure (communi-
cations, health, childcare, libraries) which also helps to boost
female access to training and employment. Equally important
is the introduction of
farm relief and farm management
services.

6.2.3.
Under special schemes, however, women are only
granted these rights when they are registered as farm owners
or wage-earners and are otherwise only afforded health
protection as spouses (1). That is one reason why rural women
tend to register late for social security, seeking rights that they
cannot acquire by joining the special scheme, in particular
retirement pensions.

6.2.4.
It would be reasonable to expect EU monitoring of
implementation of Directive 86/613/EEC on the recognition
of the work carried out by wives, the main purpose of which
is to reduce the discrepancies between the content of the
various social security schemes covering agriculture-related
activities.

6.2.5.
It is likely that women who perform solely agricul-
tural work and declare contributions to the general social
security scheme are actually independent workers. This could
explain the legal difficulties facing women who contribute to
the agricultural scheme, which relate to the requirement that
there be a degree of ‘regularity’ in the work. This admission
criterion is somewhat vague and in some cases unrealistic as it
is tied in with the economic scale of the holding. The economic
side of the holding thus seems to determine the level of
contributions for women farmers.

7. Proposals and conclusions

7.1.
Equal opportunities for men and women in rural
society should also mean better quality of life and should be
part of all Community policies on rural development. In this
respect, it is essential that gender mainstreaming be applied in
such policies and that the Commission consider the ESC’s
proposals when drafting the forthcoming equal opportunities
programme that will enter into force in 2001.

7.2.
It is essential that equality policies make it possible for
women to remain in their places of birth, so as to preserve the
necessary population balance and sustainable development.

(1) Council Directive 86/613/EEC on the recognition of work carried

out by wives, 11 December 1986.

7.4.
There should be better coordination between local,
regional, national and European level, with more input from
institutions and encouragement of development.

Priority needs to be given to boosting diversification
7.5.
where women are usually the key players — SMEs, regional
and craft products, rural tourism — thus supporting the multi-
functional dimension.

7.6.
Education and training systems should be coordinated
with production systems in order to curb the rural exodus. It
is necessary first of all to educate, giving priority to general
and basic training (including distance learning), in order to
subsequently know how to use resources and qualifications
and provide regulated vocational training or occupational
training leading to an official qualification, in tune with new
labour needs.

7.7.
The Committee acknowledges the importance of pro-
viding rural women with training which caters for their specific
needs and circumstances, and helps to boost
their self-
confidence and their participation in decision-making and in
local socio-economic life. There is a need to boost the use
of local financial resources to promote rural development
projects.

7.8.
It is necessary to maintain Community initiatives such
as Leader+ and Equal in order to promote equal opportunities.
There needs to be special emphasis on training, which is a key
factor of development, and there should be a specific section
devoted to rural women.

7.9.
The Committee recommends that the various Member
States gradually introduce provisions for reconciling family
and working life, making it possible to negotiate flexible
working hours to enable a fair distribution of responsibilities
between men and women, promoting new arrangements
tailored to the needs of society in terms of looking after those
requiring care, particularly children, the elderly, the sick and
disabled, and establishing adequate measures for maternity
protection.

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7.10.
Financial engineering should be encouraged in rural
loan arrangements in order to better harness the synergies
between private and public funding, and reduce financial
obligations for small and medium-sized enterprises, enabling
access to soft loans and micro-credit which make it easier for
women to implement business ideas (1).

The reform of the Structural Funds could play an
7.11.
essential role in creating prosperity in rural areas, placing
emphasis on young women and on all the new activities which
women could carry out. It would be advisable for programmes
approved by the Social Fund to cater for the needs of rural
women, particularly with regard to the dissemination of new
technologies, so as to help them boost their skills and promote
their activities and products.

As rural development is an endogenous and steady
7.12.
process, the local female population needs to be organised in

(1) In Sweden, for example, there is a women’s bank.

associations or working groups so that they can play a key
role in the improvement of their local area, encouraging the
development of human resources and designing strategies for
fostering fresh local input into development.

7.13.
It would be very useful if the necessary steps were
taken and the resources provided for coordination of all
the existing associations and organisations for rural women
throughout the Member States, making it possible to provide
on-going representation for these women in relation to all the
EU institutions.
It would also enhance information and
exchanges of experience, as a forum for examining the
problems in each region and pooling proposed solutions.

Regarding the problems relating to the ownership of
7.14.
agricultural holdings,
the Committee considers that steps
should be taken urgently to achieve recognition of the work
performed by spouses in countries where this is not the case.
Regarding social security contributions, a possible solution
could be to introduce a single contribution for independent
workers and their helpers.

Brussels, 24 May 2000.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI