Across Europe’s rural and inner areas, women play a central role in keeping communities alive. They work in schools, local services, businesses, associations and community organisations. They care for families, create networks and often lead small but significant processes of social and economic regeneration.
Yet their contribution is not always matched by equal access to employment, services, decision-making and professional opportunities.
A recent Italian report, Women and Inner Areas, published by Riabitare l’Italia, provides important insights into the lives, aspirations and challenges of young women living in rural and peripheral territories. The study combines national survey data with qualitative research and local experiences, including cases from Puglia and Campania.
Staying or leaving is not a simple choice
The decision to remain in an inner area or move elsewhere is often described as a personal choice. In reality, it is strongly influenced by the opportunities available in the territory.
The research shows that almost half of the young people interviewed want to remain in their area by choice, while others stay because they do not currently have the possibility to leave. At the same time, many young women see migration as a proactive step towards greater independence, new experiences and better opportunities.
Among women considering leaving, 95.3% identify the desire to broaden their life experience and worldview as an important motivation. Access to training and employment opportunities is relevant for 88.1%, while 85% seek new relationships, knowledge and social stimuli. Better cultural, social and care services are considered important by 84%.
These results show that women do not necessarily leave because they reject their communities. They often leave because their territories do not provide the conditions needed to pursue their ambitions and build an independent life.
More education, but less stable employment
One of the clearest findings of the report concerns the gap between women’s qualifications and their employment conditions.
Young women complete their studies more frequently than young men and reach several milestones of adult life earlier. However, this educational advantage does not automatically translate into stable employment.
Only 40.3% of the women in employment included in the survey had a permanent contract, compared with 50% of men. Women are therefore more likely to experience precarious employment, part-time work and weaker economic protection.
This creates a double disadvantage: the limited employment opportunities associated with living in an inner area are combined with inequalities linked to gender.
The result is a significant loss for rural communities. Territories invest in the education and skills of young women but often struggle to offer them suitable opportunities afterwards. Among respondents who had completed their studies and were considering leaving, the proportion of women was considerably higher than that of men.
The value of quality of life and community
Despite these challenges, inner areas retain a strong capacity to attract and retain young women.
Environmental quality and a healthier lifestyle are among the main reasons for staying. Eight out of ten women who intended to remain considered the quality of the environment and local way of life an important factor.
Smaller communities can also provide stronger human relationships, a sense of belonging and opportunities to contribute directly to local development. However, environmental quality alone is not enough. Without accessible services, mobility, employment and childcare, the advantages of rural life can quickly become limitations.
The question is therefore not simply how to convince women to remain. It is how to create the conditions that allow them to choose freely whether to stay, return or develop connections between rural areas and other places.
Women as agents of rural regeneration
The report also presents the experiences of women actively involved in projects in the inner areas of Southern Italy.
Their stories challenge the idea that remaining in a rural territory means accepting a lack of opportunities. Many women are developing businesses, cultural initiatives, agricultural activities and social projects rooted in local resources and community needs.
They recover knowledge, create collaborations and connect traditional activities with new forms of innovation. Their projects often combine economic objectives with environmental sustainability, social inclusion and care for the community.
This is an active form of “staying”: not passive permanence, but the conscious choice to invest skills, energy and relationships in a territory.
However, these experiences should not be romanticised. The future of rural areas cannot depend solely on the determination and resilience of individual women. Local institutions, organisations and development programmes must provide adequate support.
From individual resilience to shared responsibility
Supporting women in rural and inner areas requires an integrated approach.
Employment policies must be accompanied by accessible services, transport, digital connectivity, childcare and opportunities for continuing education. Women also need greater access to entrepreneurship support, funding, professional networks and mentoring.
Participation is equally important. Although women are often highly active in local associations and community initiatives, they remain underrepresented in many formal decision-making structures. Recognising their contribution means ensuring that they can influence local strategies and the policies that shape their territories.
European programmes can play an important role in this process. Yet the report highlights that only a small proportion of the young people interviewed had participated in European calls or initiatives. Information, administrative complexity and the absence of local support can create barriers between European opportunities and the people who could benefit most from them.
The contribution of CLIMB
The CLIMB project works within this broader challenge: strengthening skills, inclusion and opportunities in rural communities.
Supporting women means more than offering isolated training activities. It means helping them transform skills into employment, entrepreneurial initiatives and community projects. It also means building connections among women, local organisations, institutions and European networks.
By increasing access to knowledge, creating opportunities for exchange and highlighting local experiences, CLIMB can contribute to making women’s role in rural development more visible and more strongly recognised.
Women are already contributing to the transformation of Europe’s inner areas. The challenge is to ensure that their commitment is supported by services, resources and policies capable of turning their aspirations into sustainable futures.
