Abstract

Rates of employment among women are high in an increasing number of Western countries, which has caused service institutions and welfare schemes to assume tasks that were previously considered women’s tasks (EC, 2011). Esping-Andersen (2009) refers to this change as a ‘revolution’. Inglehart and Norris (2003) describe the change as a ‘rising tide’, in which gender equality is more advanced in post-industrial countries than industrial and agrarian countries. Despite major changes in the conditions of women in the labour market, the high rate of female participation in the labour force in many Western countries is not reflected in participation in governance institutions, particularly rural governance institutions, despite gender mainstreaming policies. The objective of this chapter is to critically assess the state of gender in Western rural governance locations.