Position of Iranian Rural Women in Sustainable Development Process: a Case Study of Chaharmahal - va - Bakhtiyari Province

Rural women of Iran have long achieved a prominent position in sustainable development process, and rural women of Chaharmahal - va - Bakhtiyari province are not an exception. This article uses scientific methods to explain such a position. It defines and classifies variables that are indicators of socio-economic status of rural women as well as variables related to rural development. It adopts Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Pressure-State Respond Model to explain rural women roles in sustainable rural development.Results indicate that spatial structure of each particular homogenous area, i.e., flat land-peasant and nomadic-mountainous ones will affect socio-economic status of rural women in existing environmental conditions (in terms of the degree of development sustainability). On the other hand, it has a significant relationship with general skill endowment of women and their access to and control of production resources. To promote socio-economic position of rural women the following steps should be taken: enhancing educational levels, organizing training and extension courses, promoting women's access to and control of production resources by supplying low price banking facilities, establishing and expanding production cooperatives and non-governmental organizations, etc. for women, and concentrating on potentials in each homogenous area.