ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the main features of rural restructuring and its relationship to gender issues within the United Kingdom (UK). It notes both basic socio-economic and cultural trends and issues in the relationships between gender and rural restructuring in the UK, and documents the different conceptual and theoretical approaches taken towards the study of this relationship. The chapter considers the four key themes or issues in the study of gender and rural restructuring: studies of economic life; studies of service provision; studies of rural development policies; and studies of the cultural construction of rurality. It concentrates on socio-economic and cultural issues; other themes, such as the study of women and environmentalism have had less impact on rural restructuring debates. The development of feminist social science from the 1970s in the UK started with assessments of women socio-economic position and patterns of gender inequality, including the examination of the relationships between paid and unpaid work, social welfare issues and health matters.
