Rural women, feminism and the politics of identity

Abstract

This article focuses on the Norwegian Society of Rural Women (NSRW), the only organization representing rural (farm) women in Norway. Using the magazine for the NSRW members as our main source, we ask how feminist politics and identity have been construed in a rural context. As communicated by the magazine, engagement with women's movement issues such as equal rights has been inconspicuous. Instead, strategies to enhance the value and appreciation of women's traditional areas of operation have been emphasized. Magazine discourses have been concerned with the recognition of women's values and distinctive characteristics, rather than with challenges to the gender regime within agriculture and claims of equality with men. In the 1990s, as farm and rural women have become a heterogenous group, creating a common ground for organizing rural women has become a major challenge.