Influence of gender equality on sustainable development of villages in the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

Sustainable rural development is important for the society, posing a challenge for rural households, in terms of ensuring continuous improvement of the quality of life and wellbeing for present and future generations. The equal participation of rural women and men is crucial for sustainable development but still remains a complex goal. The aim of this paper was to review the status of women in rural areas from the perspective of gender balance and to highlight the role of the equality in the activities related to sustainable rural development. The methods of descriptive statistics of data were used to process the official data for gender balance in the labour market. Additionally, a field interview for gender equality in decision-making and management was conducted on 140 rural households in Macedonia. The findings demonstrate that the employment rate of rural women amounted to 34%, what is lower than the employment rate of men in rural areas (66%). According to the structure of the status of employees in rural areas, women in the “unpaid family workers” category amounted to 8%, compared to women in urban areas amounting to only 1%. Additionally, the data from the field research show that rural women have very low levels of decision-making in the family and leadership of family businesses, especially in the rural areas with predominantly Muslim population. By identifying gender-differentiated opportunities and constraints, policy makers in Macedonia can develop gender-responsive actions that can lead to more effective measures for the overall improvement in natural resources management.