The state and the share of rural women on the agricultural entrepreneurship activities in the Slovak republic

The economic empowerment of rural women in the recent development of agriculture through entrepreneurship is considered an important challenge. Rural women often manage complex households and pursue multiple livelihood strategies. Their activities typically include cultivation of crops, farming animals, processing and preparing food, working for wages in agricultural or other rural enterprises, collecting fuel and water, engaging in trade and marketing, caring for family members, and maintaining their homes. The research aimed to collect up-to-date data on Slovak rural women dealing with business in the field of agriculture, women's role and status in society in rural areas, on the farm, women's participation in education, training, and agricultural services. The main focus is dedicated to their share on the management of agricultural entities, land cultivation, employment of rural women and men, and their deal on the selected entrepreneurial activities of Slovak agriculture. Women doing business in agriculture dispose of with considerable knowledge and experience in the agricultural and food sectors. The realized research showed that the scale of farms managed by women is 325 hectares. Rural women in the surveyed group are taking care of about 2.5% of the total area of agricultural land in Slovakia and they are employing 2.40% of the working forces in the agricultural sector in Slovakia. According to our survey, rural women are under-represented in managerial and ownership positions of agricultural entities.