Examining the Effects of Rural Women’s Empowerment on Quality of Life in the Villages of Pol-e Dokhtar County

Introduction
Rural women often face greater socio‑economic challenges than both rural men and urban populations. Economic crises tend to disproportionately affect rural women, exacerbating existing inequalities. Numerous studies indicate that women are more vulnerable to poverty and gender discrimination than men, largely due to limited access to resources, opportunities, and institutional support needed to enhance their capabilities. In recent decades, empowerment—particularly the empowerment of rural women—has emerged as one of the most important strategies discussed in rural development literature. Women's empowerment is a multidimensional process that strengthens their capacity to participate in economic, social, and decision‑making activities. Depending on the prevailing power structures, empowerment may manifest as either passive participation or active engagement in community affairs. Inequitable distribution of power often leads to imbalances in decision‑making processes related to management and development planning. Therefore, restructuring power relations in favor of greater local participation can enhance the empowerment of rural communities and contribute to their self‑reliance in local governance and development initiatives.
 

Methodology

This study is applied in terms of purpose and employs a descriptive–analytical research design. The statistical population consists of households residing in the rural areas of Pol‑e‑Dokhtar County. According to the 2016 national census of population and housing, the rural population of the study area comprised 7,358 households. The sample size was determined using Cochran’s formula, resulting in a sample of 365 households. Data were collected using a researcher‑designed questionnaire. The face and content validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by academic experts, and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The reliability coefficient for the empowerment component was 0.79, for the quality‑of‑life component 0.81, and for the overall questionnaire 0.80, indicating acceptable reliability. The empowerment variable was measured using five indicators, while quality of life was measured using six indicators. Data analysis was conducted using inferential statistical methods, including the one‑sample t‑test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multivariate regression analysis.
 

Findings

The descriptive findings indicate that 68% of respondents were male and 32% were female. In terms of marital status, 74% of respondents were married, while 24% were single. Regarding age distribution, the highest proportion of respondents (27%) belonged to the 41–50 age group, while the lowest proportion (8%) was in the age group above 60 years. In terms of educational attainment, the largest share of respondents (32%) had education below the diploma level, whereas the smallest proportion (14%) held a master’s degree or higher. Regarding employment status, the largest group (27%) consisted of self‑employed individuals, while retirees represented the smallest group (7%).
 

Discussion and Conclusion

Women constitute nearly half of the rural population and have traditionally played a significant role in rural livelihoods. In addition to household responsibilities, rural women actively participate in agricultural activities, livestock production, carpet weaving, and various handicrafts, contributing substantially to household economies and rural production systems. Consequently, empowering rural women can significantly enhance household economic stability and improve overall family well‑being. In the broader perspective, such empowerment contributes to improving the quality of life in rural communities and ultimately supports rural development. This study examined the impact of rural women’s empowerment on the quality of life in the villages of Pol‑e‑Dokhtar County. The overall findings suggest that strengthening women’s empowerment requires reducing restrictive social attitudes toward women’s participation in social and economic activities and increasing family support for women’s engagement in such activities. In addition, institutions responsible for entrepreneurship and rural development should provide targeted training programs to enable rural women to acquire practical skills and establish small‑scale businesses within a relatively short period. The findings also indicate that improvements in rural quality of life are closely linked to the empowerment of rural women and the effective utilization of their latent capacities. Without enhancing women’s capabilities and participation, sustainable improvements in rural living conditions are unlikely to occur. Empowering rural women can therefore serve as an important strategy for promoting sustainable rural development and reducing rural‑to‑urban migration. A review of previous studies suggests that most existing research has examined either the determinants of women’s empowerment or the quality of life of rural residents separately. Few studies have directly investigated the relationship between rural women’s empowerment and the quality of life of rural communities. In this regard, the present study contributes a relatively novel perspective. Overall, the results indicate that the quality of life in the villages under study is at an acceptable level, which is consistent with the findings of Adami et al. (2020). The results are also in line with the findings of Mohammadi et al. (2021), who reported a moderate level of quality of life in the studied rural areas, as well as with the results of Ghasemi et al. (2024), which indicated favorable quality‑of‑life conditions in the villages of Khairudkenar, Tusktek, Teshe‑Abad, and Shariat‑Abad across multiple indicators.