| Abstract [eng] |
The greatest problems of the Lithuania country is facing are economic and social: there is an economic recession in the country; the country has lost its eastern markets for agricultural and industriaI products; the standard of living has declined after the political changes; and the crime rate is high. In terms of social development, rural disposable household income is lower than in Lithuania urban areas. In that respect, over-dependence on agriculture is equally a serious problem in rural areas demanding for a diversification of rural activities and employment opportunities. This will be increasingly important when the agriculture and processing sectors become more ef'ficient. Moreover, basic living conditions are comparatively poorer in rural areas than in the cities, and a tendency to ageing of rural population can be a threat to economic vitality. Social and economic changes taking places in Lithuania countryside are changing the problem of gender dimension. The goal of this research was to show the main aspects of leadership in the rural areas of Lithuania in the context oftoday's trade and gender dimension and integration. The main problems in rural areas are related to the current agrarian reform; people are motivated to start private farming, but they do not have enough resources. Rural people have also lost many of the social and communal services main- tained by big state and collective farms. The proportion of women in the totallabour force is high at 48 percent. However, forms of occupational sex segregation can be seen. In rural areas women are mainly involved in unskilled work in the fields, cowsheds, pig or poultry farms, or in social services. A special problem in rural areas is that the privatization of state and collective farms has led to the loss ofthe social services they supplied. If kindergartens are closed, it is difficult for women to have paid employment outside the home There is a great difference in the age structure of men and women in rural areas; in the oldest age group (over 65 years) there are many more women than meno The level of education is far lower in rural than in urban areas, and the educationallevel of rural women is lower than that of rural meno Although there is now more migration from cities to rural areas than vice versa, young and unmarried women have a tendency to move from rural areas to cities, or foreign countries. The greatest problems for rural women are economic and caused by unemployment or a heavy work load. Other problems are the lack of district hospitals, matemity clinics and pharmacies in rural areas and the fact that transportation costs to regional centres are high. It is al so problematic that there are no extension services in home economics, home management or in new job opportunities such as rural entrepreneurship or agrotourism. In addition, discrimination against women in employrnent persists. The transition period in society has been particularly difficult for women because of the threat ofunemployment and the diminishing social services (such as kindergardens). The statistical data show, that women representation in alllevels of govemmental structures of Lithuania Repub- lic is insufficient. Quite big gap between man and women possibilities, seekingprofessional career, and in gender equality in general is noticeable. This study assesses female and male leadership in Lithuania rural areas through analysis of interviews with govemment officials and recognized local leaders. Findings of previous community studies, which suggested that structural characteristics of communities influence their leadership patterns, have been incorporated into this study of gender. Key and action informant data were collected in all regions of rural Lithuania which differ in levels of urban presence and pressure. The findings revealed that men dominated rural leadership positions and were recognized as leaders more often than women, but that the gender ratios ofleaders, as well as the types ofwomen leaders who emer- ged, varied by site. |
