Women's Leadership in Regional Australia

In recent years there has been a growing interest in women's experience of leadership outside of the city, with a now significant range of studies surrounding women in agriculture. A common theme in this research concerns the importance of distinguishing context; that the rural context needs to be seen as distinct from the urban context, and that rural women may face even more barriers in accessing leadership positions than their urban counterparts. In working on a broader project concerning women on regional boards, we observed a tendency for there to be some slippage between notions of 'women in agriculture' and 'women in rural and regional Australia' more generally. With women in agriculture making up less than 10% of women employed in rural and regional Australia, it is the aim of this paper to make visible the varied leadership roles of women in regional Australia. In particular, we review recent data detailing women's representation in a range of regional leadership roles, not just those in agricultural organisations. It seems women have been able to access some leadership roles in their communities, but their representation remains less than their male colleagues. Despite their contribution to their local communities through their diverse roles in paid work and/or their businesses, it seems leadership in regional Australia continues to reinforce the 'naturalness' of men in positions of authority and women in subordinate positions.