Direction of Social and Domestic Changes through Networking Movements by Rural Women: A Case Study of the Rural Heroine Network

摘要

In the middle of the 1990s, a voluntary network founded by a group of rural women started an empowerment movement in Japan. They led this rural network movement for two decades. This network is a non-hierarchical and non-subsidized operation. On the contrary, the old style network for rural people had been influenced by the public sector, and in many cases, the network was limited to a local community. This study targets the new women's movement called the Rural Heroine Network (RHN). The study aims to clarify the direction of women's thoughts that lead to social and domestic change through networking. In addition, the study specifies the process of maturation of these thoughts. Six women who were part of the RHN were investigated and their life stories were assembled, with particular attention to their motivation to participate in the RHE, the process of thought development that aims to solve social and domestic problems, and their thought directions. In conclusion, it is clear that in addition to gender issues, there are general problems related to the regional situation, food issues, and the suppression of agriculture. These issues tend to develop the women's minds as they pursue various social changes. Finally, three categories of their thoughts are specified based on the regional sector, the intended group, and domestic matters.