ABSTRACT

This chapter analyses the ways in which women and gender issues have been dealt with in relationship to rural development, both by policy makers and social scientists. Discourses about the rural women in Tunisia have varied according to shifts in development models and policies. The chapter reviews the major themes on which social science research and national policies related to women and rural development have focused. In addition to being raised in relationship to food security problems, rural women's issues started to be raised in relationship to the question of incomes in rural areas. The chapter focuses on four areas: work and economic contribution; education and vocational training; poverty alleviation and the promotion of self-employment; and women and participatory rural development. Processes of economic restructuring and shifts in development strategies have favored a growing interest in rural and gender issues and have contributed to a more positive image of rural women, who are no longer viewed as a hindrance.