Factors Affecting employment of Women in Rural Handicrafts in Agriculture, A Case Study of West Azerbaijan Province

This study was conducted to "analyze the factors affecting the optimal employment of women in rural handicrafts in the field of agriculture in West Azerbaijan province." In this research, survey method and researcher-made questionnaire techniques were used and also SPSS software was used for data analysis, and frequency, mean, and percentage calculations were used in descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation method was used in inferential statistics. The statistical population in this study is 21875 women working in the field of agriculture in the province located between the ages of 15 to 65 years that using Cochran's formula, a sample of 370 people from 30 selected villages in 6 cities of the province was selected using cluster sampling method. In theoretical foundations, a research model was developed by combining sociological and economic theories (neoclassics and labor market division and gender theories). According to this model, the factors affecting the optimal employment of women in the handicrafts sector of agriculture in West Azerbaijan province are: Individual (psychological), cultural and organizational factors, that finally, after analyzing the data, all research hypotheses were accepted at a significance level of 99 percent. Therefore, by confirming the hypotheses and the research model, the factors affecting the optimal employment of women in the field of handicrafts in the field of agriculture in the study area are: Individual, cultural and organizational factors that these factors will lead to optimal employment of women in the field of handicrafts in the field of agriculture and ultimately sustainable rural development.