Paper short abstract:

We explore the formation of social networks and leadership roles in local communities by women in rural Japan. Employing semi-structured interviews and participant observation, we will demonstrate how these women make themselves heard and how they interpret their impact on their social environment.

Paper long abstract:

Japan's rural areas, due to the dwindling of their population, are presently facing the challenge of changing social structures and power shifts. Shortage of labour on the one hand and increasing efforts to further gender equality on the other, question 'traditional' gender relations in rural Japan. Against this background, women engage as leaders of local groups and organisations, establishing social networks both inside and outside their respective communities. Previous research has shown that these women's activities are vital for filling the labour gap and for revitalising rural communities. The way in which these women themselves, as well as their surroundings, perceive this engagement, remains unexplored.

Using preliminary results from a case study in the Aso region in central Kyushu, this paper focuses on social networks and leadership roles of rural women. Through semi-structured interviews and participant observation, we explored how these women have made and are still making their voices heard, and how they themselves interpret their influence within their communities. We show that female leaders in the Aso region have utilised networks both inside and outside the community to effectively challenge existing power relations. However, it also became clear that despite a certain degree of success, women still face opposition from different parts of the local community. While many participants of our study aim at improving or revitalising the region, these efforts are hampered by tensions between existing institutions and their own activities as well as by tensions between established and newcomer residents.