Читать книгу Rural Women in Leadership - Lori Ann McVay - Страница 20

It is important to note that rural women often develop a sense of self that is inseparable from the context in which they are located (Heather et al., 2005). Additionally, variations in the particularities surrounding the concept of ‘rural’ exist between and among rural spaces (Little and Austin, 1996). Therefore, although the women of rural Northern Ireland are not exceptions to the wider literature on women and rural women, it is fundamental to recognize the impossibility of generalizing rural women’s experiences to women from all communities (Jackson, 1993), and to bear in mind that women from Northern Ireland will have interpretations of experiences and ideologies which differ from those of rural women in other rural locations (Little and Austin, 1996). One of the most unique facets of Northern Ireland women’s experiences is that of the conflict which has been present in the region for many years and has served to heighten the role of women in the affected areas as nurturers and caretakers (Rural Women’s Networks, Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, 2007).

In 2002 (p. 161), Shortall wrote: ‘the equality legislation that has emerged in Northern Ireland is far-reaching’, but that ‘the current face of agricultural and rural restructuring is not one that significantly advances gender equality.’ Much of this can be attributed to the hidden undervaluing of women’s representation that is present in Northern Ireland, as revealed in the lack of statistical information surrounding women’s issues and the under-representation of women on rural development organization’s management boards (Shortall, 2002). The following year, in her report on women in rural areas of Northern Ireland, she noted several specific issues facing rural women in Northern Ireland (each of which resonates clearly with broader literature): lack of adequate childcare, transportation difficulties, restricted job opportunities and limited access to training (Shortall, 2003). More recently, a 2007 regional report noted the continued existence of inequalities ‘around labour market participation and pay, family and caring responsibilities, health needs, lack of representation at a political and decision making level, access transport, and violence in the home’ (Rural Women’s Networks, Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, 2007).

Seeking to address these issues locally are six major Rural Women’s Networks (Fermanagh, Mid-Ulster, Omagh, Newry and Mourne, Roe Valley, and South Armagh) and one umbrella organization (Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, or NIRWN). These groups are led by women and are for women (Crawley, 2005). They are often supported by, and work in conjunction with, the Women’s Resource and Development Agency (WRDA) and Rural Community Network (RCN). In response to the above-mentioned issues, these groups and networks have, for many years, attempted to provide accessible childcare and training, but have continually met with difficulties in obtaining long-term funding and finding appropriate facilities and trained staff (Shortall, 2003). This can, in part, be attributed to a shuffling of responsibility for these organizations between the women’s sector and the rural development sector, resulting in a lack of funding from both (Crawley, 2005). Thus, they have also experienced a change in focus from general development to specific projects (Rural Women’s Networks, Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, 2007). With the 2006 formation of NIRWN by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD – a government agency), an attempt has been made to fit the previously existing networks under an umbrella organization as a means of coordinating their efforts. While this effort has met with mixed reviews (including questions regarding the motives for NIRWN’s inception), rural women’s networks continue to remain an active and essential part of rural life in Northern Ireland.

The six Rural Women’s Networks and NIRWN responded to the European Union Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (Peace III) 2007–2013 plan by calling for a focus on building equality between women and men in three areas related to leadership, the facilitation of which should include provision for appropriate childcare and transportation assistance: participation in political and decision-making bodies, skills development, and giving women confidence to speak out regarding their political opinions (Rural Women’s Networks, Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, 2007). Similarly, DARD’s 2007–2013 rural strategy promotes the building of leadership skills as ‘a central pillar in the regeneration of rural areas’ (Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2006).