Institutional capacity building for rural womens empowerment in Austria

Equality between women and men and between different social groups correlates directly with the economic growth of a nation or a region. This is a mutual effect; while economic growth is seen to improve equality between women and men in general, gender equality also entails economic growth. The gender dimension becomes relevant to rural and regional policy if effectiveness and efficiency of public subsidies are called into question. In case of the European Union structural funds policy, the optimum use of human potential is seen as a key concern [13]. Integrating gender equality in rural development also means recognizing the diversity amongst rural women when planning and implementing interventions. They are not a homogenous group and they have different needs and interests because they have different backgrounds with regard to occupation, income, education, age, social class, culture or ethnicity. It should be a strategic objective of rural development policy to create a positive climate for this wide variety of life models of men and women in rural areas.