Rural Women in Landscape Enterprise Networks
Rural women are structurally underrepresented, and their isolation is both geographic and structural
Rural women are central to the resilience and productivity of Australia’s regional, rural and remote communities. But they remain structurally underrepresented in nature-based industries, often excluded from key decision-making forums, and disproportionately impacted by economic and social isolation
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Australia employs ~334,700 people in nature and environmental related jobs, only 22.2% of these roles are held by women
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86% of regional and remote families report financial stress linked to childcare inaccessibility, directly constraining women’s workforce participation
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~10% of family farms are succeeded by daughters, restricting women’s long-term authority over capital, land management and landscape futures
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Rural Australia is facing a deepening mental health crisis, with 45% of farmers experiencing depression, 64% experiencing anxiety, and 30% attempting self-harm or suicide
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Natural disasters and weather impacts, reported by 47% of farmers as key stressors, are compounding psychological strain as climate volatility intensifies
Connection to environment is not recreational - it represents identity, livelihood and culture
Connection to nature and participation in environmental initiatives are protective factors for mental health, with studies consistently linking meaningful nature connection to reduced stress, improved wellbeing, and lower psychological distress. For rural communities, connection to the environment is not recreational - it represents identity, livelihood and culture.
Research across 20 countries examining NRM groups found women’s participation strengthens cooperation, reciprocity, and group cohesion - core conditions for collective action and long-term outcomes. Landscape-scale resilience depends on exactly these qualities. Yet women remain underrepresented in environmental leadership, under-supported in workforce participation, and under-recognised as agents of landscape resilience.
Without targeted and innovative interventions, gender inequity, climate stress, and rural mental health challenges will continue to reinforce one another - limiting both environmental outcomes and rural community wellbeing.
SEAOAK believes there is an urgent need to invest in national initiatives that increase women’s participation and leadership in nature-based industries, strengthen professional networks and reduce structural isolation, harness connection to land and environmental stewardship as protective factors for mental wellbeing, and build landscape-scale resilience through inclusivity
Investing in rural women’s leadership in nature is not only a gender equity issue - it is also a climate resilience strategy and community mental health intervention
The Women in LENs (WiLENs) program is giving rural women a seat at the table by building environmental leadership capability and creating jobs in regional, rural and remote Australia
SEAOAK is investing in training 3-5 rural women each year, with the group receiving real training on real LENs programs being rolled out across Australia. The group will gain experience supporting with the various functions of Landscape Enterprise Networks in Australia including regional stakeholder engagement and coordination, farmer coordination and support, farm data collection, and identification of opportunities for new LENs programs within their own communities
