SOCIAL INDICATORS AND RURAL
SUSTAINABILITY: QUALITY OF LIFE,
PARTICIPATION AND GENDER ROLES
M. Julia Fawaz
Chile: an Outlook (1)
Area (sq. Kilometers)
756.946
Population
Urban population
Rural population
Poverty level
16.6 million people
86.6%
13.4%
13.7% (In 1990. almost 40% of Chilean people)
Illiteracy
Average Schooling
Unemployment rate
GDP
GDP per capita
4.0%
10.2 years
8% aprox.
USD 145.8 billion
USD 13.000
Chile: an Outlook
(2)
• Chile is a republic, with a presidential regime and a
democratic, multiparty system.
• It has an open economy, centered mainly on resourcebased sectors, primarily copper mining and the agrofood sector. Also forestry, both native and plantations
(pulp and paper).
Rural Development in Chile.
Strategies and approaches
• Long-standing concern in the country, expressed in
various policies toward agriculture and forestry.
• Decade of 60, until 1973 - Agrarian Reform.
• Military Government - liberalization of land, agro-export
model, basis for neoliberal agrarian modernization.
• Legislative reforms, that break apart water property
from land ownership, creating also a water market
...Decade of the 90s and recent years…
• Increase in public policies, subsidies and financial instruments for
agriculture, although still low compared with other countries.
• Democratic government – Deepening of trade liberalization Concern for social and territorial equity.
• Priority to problems of rural poverty as social policy goals. Great
progress, but still gaps. Mainly, because rural poverty is a systemic
problem, and social policies arise from different institutional sectors.
• Emphasis in innovation, competitiveness, internationalization and
strong promotion of agro-food sector.
• Growing awareness of the importance of preserving natural
resources (particularly land and water).
Objectives of the presentation
• To examine the construction of three complex social indicators for
rural sustainability in Central Chile, Province of Ñuble.
• Dimensions:
• Quality of life
• Participation
• Gender equity
• Baseline: statistical data for rural areas in Chile and data gathered
by field research.
Methodology
• Literature review: new rurality and sustainability indicators.
• Review of indicators of sustainable development in Chile.
• Interviews with key informants (local and central government
officials and community development leaders).
• Survey of small farmers.
• Analysis of policy and programs for rural development.
• Construction of three complex indicators and their simple
component indicators.
• Field research and preliminary evaluation
• Validation in process
Social indicator 1: Quality of life
Dimension
Subject
Indicator
•
•
Poverty level
Income
•
•
•
•
•
Homeownership
Home building materials
Overcrowding
Garbage disposal
Home equipment & appliances
Connectivity
•
•
•
Road connectivity
Information access
Digital connectivity
Education
•
•
•
Average Schooling
Illiteracy
Training
•
•
Satisfaction
Dissatisfaction
Poverty
Habitability & infrastructure
Quality of life
Welfare perception
Social indicator 2: Participation
Dimension
Subject
Type of participation
•
•
•
•
Modalities of
participation
•
•
Participation
•
Social capital
•
•
•
Indicator
Number of local organizations
Participation in social organizations for local
development
Participation in economic organizations
Participation in interest groups.
Consultation (information & opinions)
Presence and representation
(institutionalized mechanisms of
participation)
Influence (making decisions & social
control)
Networking
at
local,
national
and
international level.
Alliances among organizations
Collaborative work with public and private
sector.
Social indicator 3: Gender equity
Dimension
Gender
equity
Subject
Indicator
Work
(Private and public sphere)
•
•
•
•
Expanded domestic work (housework
Paid farm work
Extrapredial paid work
Representations and meanings
Daily Life and
Family Dynamics
(private sphere)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Family types
Family Restructurations
Head of household
Gender Roles
Family Networks
Family violence
Representations and meanings
Networks of friendship
Associativity and local social capital
Education
Representations and meanings
Daily life and Local
Dynamics
(Public sphere)
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Quality of life: preliminary results
Subject
Poverty
Habitability &
infrastructure
Baseline –field evaluation
•
•
•
Chile (2006): 13,7% (38% in 1990) – Ñuble province: 22% (2006)
Still, high income inequality (Gini Coefficient: 54)
optimal biomedical indicators in urban and rural areas
•
•
Rural housing programs
Environmental legislation, although insufficient in several dimensions, favors
territorial approach, local development and participation
Great access to basic services (electricity, water, wastewater treatment, rural
housing and home furnishings).
•
Comunicationes
and Connectivity
•
•
•
•
•
•
Substantial improvement in road connectivity (roads, transportation).
Rural and urban sectors are more connected.
Wide spread of cell phones and TV
Low access to digital technologies
Low access to Internet, except in schools and public services
Low use of digital technologies in agribusiness
Quality of life: preliminary results
Subject
Education
Welfare
perception
Baseline –field evaluation
•
•
•
•
average years of schooling: 7,4 in rural areas, compared with 10,6 in urbans.
Narrowing of rural / urban gaps in average years of schooling
Wide access to primary and secondary education,
Rather poor quality of educational achievements
•
•
A positive perception of welfare today
Near half of small producers have a positive perception of sustainability of farm
activity.
Nevertheless, among small producers participating in productive organizations
and with public programs: 73%
Others: 28%
•
•
Poverty evolution by region 2006-2009
Participation: preliminary results
Subject
Baseline –field evaluation
Type of participation •
•
•
Large number of local organizations in rural areas.
Public programs stimulate participation at local level.
Small farmers participate actively in economic development organizations.
Modalities of
participation
•
•
People participate in consultation level (information & opinions).
Which tends to be short-term and specific, such as the time span of a project.
Projects come before participation; so, the former influences the latter.
Social capital
•
Some organizations have a comprehensive vision for community development.
Others focus primarily on the personal needs of their members.
Community leaders agreed upon the need of encouraging a more active
participation of women and youth in community programs and administration.
Communication channels have been improved by municipal administration. Most
people have access to better information.
•
•
Factors related to participation in local organizations
in rural areas
Financing
Access to
information &
development of
markets
Existence of
economic
development
organizations
Small farmers
Legislation,
policy &
programs
Presence of
external
agents
Institutions of
productive
promotion
Local
government
Gender equity: preliminary results
Subject
(1)
Baseline –field evaluation
•
Expanded domestic work persists, not recognized as work nor in private
domain or in official data.
•
Work at the farm: Female microenterprise growing faster than those run by
men. They concentrate in fewer and less profitable activities.
Work
•
(Private and public
sphere)
•
Extrapredial paid jobs. Female labor participation increases, but still remains
low (20%) compared to the country (42%) and internationally.
Representations and meanings of work: Ambivalent.
- Positive: self-esteem, personal autonomy, economic
contribution to the family, social recognition.
- Negative: work reload; spouses rejection; neglect of children, stress, guilt.
Gender equity: main results
Subject
Family
Dynamics
(private sphere)
(2)
Baseline–field evaluation
•
Rural families transformations follow urban patterns, with gaps.
•
Gender Roles. In transition, at slower pace than in the rest of
society.
•
Family networks. Reconstructed in absence of social networks
or state support
•
Representations and meanings: Discourse is more modern
than family practices. It is recognized that family organization
and intrafamily relationships are changing. Also, that modern
tendencies influence rural families.
Gender equity: principal results
Subject
Daily life
(Public
sphere)
(3)
Baseline–field evaluation
• Networks of friendship. Increasing, becaus of incorporation to labor
market, associativity, training, education.
•
Associativity and local social capital. Women have usually
participated in local social organizations. Now, it increases and
women assume leadership roles, even in productive organizations
and beyond local level.
•
Education. Women increase their educational level, equating male.
They get training, including ICTs.
•
Representations and meanings. Greater acceptance of new women
roles. Greater recognition of their rights. Not equal recognition of
need for transformation of rural masculinities. Distance between
discourses and practice.
CONCLUSIONS
Major challenges
•
•
Improvement of the sustainable management of natural resources.
A shift from the sectorial focus of agricultural policies towards comprehensive rural
development programs.
•
•
•
•
Quality of education at all levels
Better access to knowledge and information
Reduction of income inequality
Management of Tics in agribusiness, especially in small and medium
enterprises
Territorial balances - Effective Decentralization (There is still a centralism
that hinders regional and local development) – Regional innovation.
Strengthening civil society for an effective participation and local
governance
More effective support for small producers and to small and micro
enterprises.
A real gender equity.
•
•
•
•
Thanks you
FONDECYT Research project(1100506/2010):Women
work and family life in rural modernization context.
Realities and representations in the Province of Ñuble.
AECI/University of Almería/Universidad del Bío-Bío