These are the women who "keep the countryside going" – to quote the title of Sophie Orange and Fanny Renard's 2022 study, "Des femmes qui tiennent la campagne". The two sociologists highlight how the organization of rural areas largely relies on women who, in the face of the withdrawal of the state, manage essential services from childhood (teaching assistants and special needs assistants) to old age (home help), as well as local communities (such as town hall secretaries). It is clear that the 11 million French women living in rural areas (one in three, according to French statistics body INSEE) are often overlooked by public authorities, who are slow to pick up on their specific needs.
These women face numerous obstacles, such as greater challenges accessing employment, training, public services and childcare. As well as reluctance to seek medical care in the face of the much-reported medical deserts, and isolation in the face of domestic violence. Many are also in precarious employment situations. These difficulties are often exacerbated by limited mobility – while car journeys account for 80% of travel in rural areas, and driving is often a criterion for employment, only 80% of women hold a driving license, compared with 90% of men. Meanwhile, public transport in rural areas is lacking and often inadequately adapted to women's needs, such as requiring multiple connections and child seats.
This "accumulation of gender inequalities and territorial inequalities" was also highlighted in a 2021 report by the Senate's Delegation for Women's Rights (DDF) – "Femmes et ruralités: en finir avec les zones blanches de l'égalité" ("Women and Rural Areas: Putting an End to Equality Blind Spots"). It made 70 recommendations ranging from transport to educational guidance and began with a striking observation: none of the 181 measures in the Rural Agenda presented by the government at the end of the Yellow Vests movement addressed issues faced by women. This shortcoming was acknowledged by the then-secretary of state for rural affairs, Joël Giraud.
Billon also mentioned a law that will enhance the mark," replied Annick Billon, vice president (Union Centriste) of the Senate's DDF, who, while welcoming incremental progress, said she was disappointed with "a lack of overall vision". Among the progress made, she cited the government's work to combat domestic violence; the lack of transport which has been "better taken into consideration by local authorities" in recognition that mobility determines access to all rights, and expanded midwife competencies – they are now permitted to perform surgical abortions, subject to conditions.
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