Men’s and women’s visions of employment policies to combat depopulation in rural Spain

Abstract

Abstract The paper draws on the data gathered from a survey on men and women living in Spanish municipalities affected by depopulation. Using factor analysis, it identifies labour profiles among men and women associated with socio-demographic, economic and technological variables. We establish four profiles related to employment status for the men and women in a rural environment. For the women, we identify a group linked to the services sector, another to the public administration sector, and a group with unstable employment and the intention to emigrate, with these women being the youngest. Additionally, there is a group of women that report not working or never having worked, with these individuals being older and associated with family businesses. Regarding the men, the first three groups correspond to the agricultural sector, the industry sector and the services sector, with there also being a further group consisting of young men either without a job or with an unstable one. The article also applies cluster analysis to examine men and women’s preferences as regards the policies currently most widely used to promote rural employment in Spain: concession of tax benefits for job creation, the promotion of entrepreneurial activity, innovation in the primary sector and the advancement of rural tourism. The order of preference for the four policies is the same for both sexes, with entrepreneurship and improved funding being the most preferred, followed by innovation in agricultural activity. The results show, however, that variables such as age, level of education, type of job, economic sector, income and size of municipality of residence, have a different impact on men’s and women’s choices.