Investigating the Participation of Rural Women in Livestock Activities: A Case Study of Charuymaq County of Iran

A great part of livestock activities in the villages is done by women, and by recognizing the status of their participations, these will be more accurately planned by the concerned organizations. Therefore, this descriptive-survey study aimed at investigating the level of participation of rural women in various aspects of livestock activities. The statistical population included all the rural women in Charuymaq County of Iran. Using Cochran's formula, a sample size of 135 people was calculated and randomly selected through a multi-stage sampling method. Moreover, multiple regression method was used for investigating the effect of the variables on the level of female participation in various aspects of livestock husbandry. The results of regression analysis showed that the most important variables affecting women's participation included: in the management of grazing, the annual income; in livestock management and marketing, women's education; in reproductive management, women's attitude towards animal husbandry; and in the management of wool cutting, women's interest in keeping livestock.