07 de July de 2026
Mujeres
Resiliencia y competitividad
The Statute of Rural Women of the Principality of Asturias recognizes the role of rural and maritime women and promotes their access to training, employment and ownership of farms.
- The Statute of Rural Women of the Principality of Asturias recognizes the role of rural and maritime women and promotes their access to training, employment and ownership of farms.
- The law links gender equality with the fight against aging and population loss in rural areas
- The law incorporates women in the fishing sector as subjects of full rights for the first time in Asturias.
The Principality of Asturias has approved the Statute of Rural Women , a regulation that seeks to advance towards effective equality between women and men in rural areas, recognizing the role that women play in the economic, social and cultural activity of rural and coastal territories.
The new law comes in a context marked by aging, masculinization, and population loss in many rural areas of Asturias. With this Statute, the regional government aims to eliminate historical barriers , promote women's access to employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, and strengthen their participation in decision-making related to the region's development.
A regulation to promote equality in rural areas
The Statute is structured around various measures aimed at guaranteeing equal opportunities and improving the living conditions of rural and maritime women. Its main objectives include:
Promote the participation of women in representative bodies and decision-making spaces linked to the agricultural and fisheries sector.
Promote awareness campaigns to eliminate gender stereotypes and highlight the work carried out by rural and maritime women.
Facilitate access to aid , resources and support programs under equal conditions.
Incorporate a gender perspective into policies aimed at the agricultural and fisheries sectors.
Training, entrepreneurship and economic diversification
The law also focuses on training and entrepreneurship for women as key tools for ensuring the social and economic stability of rural areas. To this end, the Statute includes measures aimed at:
Promote specialized training and access for women to positions of responsibility.
Promote the creation of social economy enterprises and female self-employment.
Promote the professionalization of traditional and artisanal activities.
Promote shared ownership and legal and economic recognition of the work carried out on agricultural holdings.
Furthermore, the text expands the concept of rural women by incorporating complementary economic activities such as local services, small businesses, hospitality, crafts, or certain technological services, thus recognizing the growing economic diversification of Asturian villages.
Women of the sea, protagonists of the new Statute
One of the most innovative aspects of the Asturian Statute is the explicit inclusion of women working in the fishing sector, placing them on the same legal footing as farmers and livestock breeders. In this way, Asturias joins other autonomous communities, such as Andalusia , which already have a specific regulatory framework to recognize and strengthen the role of women in the agricultural and fishing sectors.
The Statute recognizes women who carry out their activities throughout the fishing value chain, including areas such as:
Shellfishing and aquaculture.
The processing and marketing of fishery products .
Fishing tourism activities.
Participation in organizations and entities representative of the sector.
The explicit inclusion of women in the fishing sector in the Statute responds to the need to highlight the role historically played by women of the sea in the economy and social cohesion of coastal communities. Furthermore, it reinforces the institutional recognition of a group traditionally rendered invisible in public policy.
Equality and the demographic challenge
The Statute of Rural Women is framed within the Demographic Promotion Law of Asturias and establishes a direct relationship between gender equality and territorial development.
Among other actions, the regulation aims to strengthen public care services, improve access to financing, and promote work-life balance and co-responsibility measures to enable women to develop their personal and professional projects in rural areas.
Various entities linked to rural development, the agricultural sector, and the fishing industry have welcomed the approval of this law, although they also point to the need to specify certain measures and promote its regulatory development to guarantee its effective application and maximize its impact on equality and the fight against depopulation.