Supporting the participation of women in the rural economy : the case of Lithuania

In every country some discontinuities can still be found when talking about the women’s position in the labour market. The issues connected with the integration of women into the business activities in rural areas are a crucial problem. In Lithuania the effects of the emigration processes are still evident. Owing to the fact that Lithuania is a small county, which accommodates only 3.4 million residents, there should be found a way to attract entrepreneurs with the favourable opportunities to run businesses in rural areas. Especially it is important to engage rural women in such kinds of activities or to improve the conditions for further business development. This paper reviews the approaches that have been adopted in Lithuania to encourage these processes, including national legal acts, the central institutional initiatives and programmes of the Lithuanian Government, the initiatives of Lithuanian NGOs, and the European Union’s support for rural development in LithuaniaPolitikos mokslų ir diplomatijos fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta