Rural women who attended a recent policy forum are pondering whether to set up a provincial organization of their own.
Members of the Rural Women’s Issues Committee of Saskatchewan raised the idea at a Nov. 24-26 meeting in Muenster, Sask.
“We’re kicking that around right now,” said committee member Diane Martz of the University of Saskatchewan.
The biggest issues are the need to continue funding for meetings and to create programs. The committee has been operating the past 18 months with money from Status of Women Canada and the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence.
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Martz said a provincial group could offer leadership training for women and encourage them to join boards. It could work with other organizations and help local communities take action on the themes discussed – health, the rural economy and women’s leadership.
Deborah Bryson-Farauer of Humboldt, Sask., who attended the workshop, said a rural women’s organization would help deal with the isolation on farms and the stresses of a busy lifestyle in which both spouses are working on and off the farm.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a room with rural women. I felt like I belonged,” she said.
She said governments must adopt more flexible policies for farms because “one area could be having great crops and another be flooded like ours was this past year.”
Edmee Korsberg of Lanigan, Sask., who manages seven community health services in a rural area of central Saskatchewan, said many health issues still need to be resolved.
She said the meeting set priorities, which included getting information out to rural people, supporting people so they know what questions to ask their health-care providers and transportation so people can access health care.
Korsberg said women at the meeting appreciated the existence of the telehealth help line and the farm stress line.
In a discussion about food security and nutrition, Martz said the women talked about how to get consumers to buy local, rather than imported foods.
They also discussed problems with food inspectors cracking down on community food potlucks and smaller abattoirs.
“Around rural depopulation, we discussed an enhanced role for schools for child care, adult education and senior’s centres.”
Martz said women also want better jobs in rural areas as teaching and nursing positions dwindle.
Martz, who recently testified before the Senate committee investigating rural poverty, said she raised the issue of trades training.
“Women can weld as well as men. Employers need to recognize this, but then child care becomes a big part of that issue.”
