International Day of Rural Women 2023

International Day of Rural Women celebrates the contribution of women to rural development and enhancing agricultural productivity. Rural women play an important role in eradicating hunger and poverty as 41.8% of rural women are involved in the agricultural sector. The Majority of the women form the agricultural labour force and contribute to the livestock’s unpaid domestic care. 

International Day of Rural Women is celebrated on 15th October every year since 2008. This day is celebrated to create awareness among society about the unnoticed and unappreciated contribution of rural women. Stay tuned and continue reading this blog to know the date, significance and contribution of rural women!

Also Read: United Nations International Women’s Day

Event	Details
Day	International Day of Rural Women
Date	15 October 2023
Established on	2008
Founded by	The United Nations
Purpose	To celebrate and recognize the contribution of women in rural development and agricultural growth.

When is International Day of Rural Women Celebrated?

This special day is celebrated annually on 15 October. The first International Day of Rural Women was celebrated on 15 October 2008. The General Assembly of the United Nations established this day in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007.

It was established to recognize the critical role of rural women and the contribution of rural and indigenous women in developing the rural sector, working in the agricultural industry, improving food security and eliminating poverty in rural areas.

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International Day of Rural Women 2023 Theme

Every year, this day is celebrated on a particular theme. The International Day of Rural Women 2023 Theme is “Rural Women: Resilience and Recovery in Times of Crisis.” This theme emphasises the importance of rural women at times of crisis like food crises, natural disasters, economic challenges, food security, lack of labour, etc.

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Previous Year Themes

Year	Theme
2008	Empower Rural Women, End Hunger and Poverty
2009	Empowering Rural Women for Climate Change Adaptation
2010	Building Rural Women’s Resilience in the Wake of Global Economic Crisis
2011	Women’s Rights to Land, Resources & Livelihoods
2012	Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty
2013	Sustainable Development: The Pathway to the Empowerment of Rural Women and Girls
2014	Ensuring Indigenous Women’s Access to Health Care Services, Education, and Employment
2015	Empowering Rural Women, Ending Hunger and Poverty
2016	Climate is Changing. Food and Agriculture Must Too
2017	Challenges and Opportunities in Climate-Resilient Agriculture for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Rural Women
2018	Sustainable infrastructure, services, and social protection for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls
2019	Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience
2020	Building rural women’s resilience in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls through digital inclusion amid COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts
2022	Rural Women, key for a world free from Hunger and poverty.

Also Read: Women Equality Day

Significance of International Day of Rural Women

Women are the backbone of the nation they not only contribute to the agriculture sector but also diversify livelihood. International Day of Rural Women is a global observance to recognize and promote the work of rural women.

The significance of this day is listed below:

• Rural women face gender discrimination, in terms of wages and the work they do. So, this day highlights the importance of gender equality.
• This day is celebrated worldwide to recognize the contribution of women in sustaining their families, nation, and communities through their work in the agriculture sector.
• The main agenda is to promote women’s empowerment and advocate the rights of women in society.
• Rural women are the frontline leaders in reducing poverty and sustainable development of rural areas. 
• In recent years, this day also focused on climatic resilience. 

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Challenges Faced by Rural Women

Rural women face several structural barriers and inequality that constrain the decision-making authority of women. Women are not allowed to participate in household or community matters. In addition, rural women lack access to resources, assets, public services, and work opportunities. The major drawback is the wages they receive while doing an equal amount of work as men in the agriculture sector. Most of the work done by women remains unpaid and 

unnoticed. In addition, they lack basic education to stand for their rights in society.

As per statistics, it is revealed that rural women are not given equal opportunity and rights than rural males and urban women and that they endure poverty, marginalisation, and the consequences of climate change.

So, let’s celebrate this International Day of Rural Women to spread awareness about the contribution of rural women and help them attain equal rights as other individuals in society. 

Also Read: What are Human Rights?

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