International Rural Women’s Day celebrated.

International Rural Women’s Day is celebrated on October 15th to highlight the critical role that rural women and girls play in food systems around the world.

Today, women play a leading role in all economic and social spheres. However, as the UN points out, rural women in other parts of the world suffer disproportionately from the multiple aspects of poverty and, although they are as productive and good managers as their male counterparts, they do not have the same access to land, credit, agricultural materials, markets or chains of high-value crops.

Nor do they enjoy equal access to public services, such as education and healthcare, or infrastructure, such as Water and Sanitation.

Structural barriers and discriminatory social norms continue to limit the power of rural women in political participation within their communities and households. Globally, with few exceptions, all gender and development indicators show that rural women are worse off than rural men and urban women.

It is therefore necessary to support them and create policies aimed at improving their situation in all areas.

Written by Regla Yasira de León Reyes.