The Potential of Women Livıng in Rural Areas to Transform Public Decision-Making: Notes from Field Research

Abstract

Despite recent progress in women’s representation within political decision-making mechanisms, gender-based inequalities persist on a global scale. Influenced by second-wave feminism, women’s increasing visibility in education and the public sphere initially raised expectations that gender inequality would decline. However, this increased visibility has not necessarily translated into substantive political equality and, in some cases, has reproduced existing structural inequalities. As a result, feminist political theory emphasizes that women’s participation should be evaluated not only in numerical terms but also in relation to the quality and effectiveness of representation, women’s access to institutional power, and processes of power sharing.

Women’s position in political life is shaped not only by representation rates but also by how they conceptualize politics, the forms of participation available to them, the barriers they encounter, and their lived political experiences. This study aims to analyse the extent to which feminist political discourses correspond with the political perceptions and everyday practices of women living in rural areas. The research was conducted in the rural districts of Alaçam and Asarcık in Samsun, Türkiye. In this context, face-to-face interviews were conducted with forty women—twenty from each district—using a semi-structured interview guide consisting of open-ended questions. The interview questions focused on women’s self-perceptions, political awareness, experiences of political participation, perceived obstacles, gender roles, and expectations from local administrations.

The theoretical framework of the study is grounded in feminist thought, drawing on liberal, cultural, socialist, radical, ecological, and Islamic feminist approaches. By analysing the field data in conjunction with feminist theoretical perspectives, the study uncovers the relationship between women’s lived experiences and broader political structures. The findings contribute to the literature by rendering rural women’s political perceptions visible at the local level and by highlighting the importance of contextual and structural factors in understanding women’s political participation.