Rural Woman & Development Plans [Archives:2000/47/Business & Economy]

It is deniable that population growth problem is not only confined to increased female population compared to male population. Rather it is attributed to the imbalance of social, economic and educational conditions of Yemeni women in the town and rural areas and to the unequal health, employment and qualification and social care chances that they get when compared to those enjoyed by men.
The hazardous state of women in rural areas becomes more distinct when comparing their current living conditions to conditions of women living in towns. Reports reveal the limited income of women in rural areas and the fact that they receive megre wages in comparison with their arduous work done. This is because rural development projects do not focus on integrating womens work in the labor market.
Despite the fact that women in rural areas spend long hours working in fields, carrying water, gathering wood, grazing, bringing up children, preparing food, etc, the necessity factor is, as a matter of fact, the main motive for their work. It has positive economic impact on the family life. However, it is also a waste of national labor potential which, if made well use of, in accordance with comprehensive development plans, would improve the performance of national economy. There are actually a very few rural women who have had the opportunity to have access to education and employment.
So it is necessary that projects such as electricity, water and gas are to be instituted by the government. The private sector has to be encouraged to establish projects and invest in agricultural areas in terms of establishing dispensaries that meet the needs of people in these areas. Owing to deteriorated health conditions women in these areas suffer a lot. According to population census of 1994 about 81 infants die out of every 1000. This number increases when talking about dystopia death cases in women living in rural areas. Although there is an increased cadre strength working in the health field, there are clear deteriorated health conditions in rural areas. Demographic surveys reveal that the rate of incidence of diseases, specially of malaria and malnutrition, dyspenea in the respiratory system and hepatitis affecting rural women is 75% more than their counterparts in towns.
Therefore, integrating rural women in the labor market remains a far cry for the fragile development projects focusing on this aspect. And if the participation of women in economic and social life is very limited, their role in rural areas is almost not there due to high illiteracy rate among women who are prevented from education and training.
One the funny inconsistencies is that women either in rural areas or in cities are seriously reckoned when there are elections. However, this care is never visible when elections are over. Even those who claim setting up of programs to eradicate illiteracy among women, do not bother whether these are translated into action so to make women play their legitimate role in development.
It is to be stressed here that in order for rural women to get out of this deteriorating situation, a comprehensive development strategy ensuring basic services for the people, setting up productive projects, allowing womens work for daily wages and giving them access to education should be ensured by the government. Such a trend in this world, which has turned to a global village, is very pertinent specially in a country where women constitute more than half of its population and most of them live in rural areas.
Moreover, Yemeni returnees from the gulf countries during the 2nd gulf war have also increased the unemployment problem specially among rural women and increased the family problems due to the increased number of people living below the poverty line.
To sum it up, wasting the potentials and labor force that women in rural areas constitute, will certainly increase obstacles and challenges before human resources development. That necessitates practical economic, social, educational and training development plans for rural women. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that partial solutions to these problems introduced by the Social Security Fund or setting up small workshops have all come to nothing. Women in rural areas are in need of comprehensive development plans.

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