In April 2010, the European Forum on Women in the Sustainable Development of the Rural World put forth its recommendation for ‘Promoting gender equality and the participation of women in the decision making bodies of key organizations in the elaboration, management and monitoring of rural development policies’ (European Forum: The Role of Women in Sustainable Development of the Rural Environment, 2010). Five months later, a paper presented to the European Parliament in Brussels further highlighted recent focus on rural women as illustrated by the European Commission’s concern with gender equality in developing the 2000–2006 and 2007–2013 Common Agricultural Policy (Bock, 2010b). This European context, rich with possibilities for the advancement of rural women, provided an ideal milieu for research into their leadership development.

      Northern Ireland – with its vibrant rural communities and dynamic network of rural women’s groups – supplied a rich localized site for this study. The six Rural Women’s Networks in Northern Ireland – and an umbrella organization, the Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network (NIRWN) – provided a natural starting point for identifying participants, as their directors and other staff members fit well within the profile of rural women in leadership. And though not all rural women in the region are involved with the Rural Women’s Networks, the networks actively promote the advancement of Northern Ireland’s rural women at local, regional and national levels. This promotion is greatly needed, given the continued presence of gender inequalities and inadequacies in the areas of child-care, transportation, employment opportunities and training (Shortall, 2003; Rural Women’s Networks, Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, 2007). The networks, along with Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), have called for leadership development in rural areas as a crucial means of addressing these and other pressing issues. This study was therefore undertaken as a means of ascertaining the key factors facilitating the development and acquisition of leadership skills among women leaders from rural areas of Northern Ireland. Two secondary questions guided the research design. First, what people, organizations and/or events supported these women’s development and acquisition of leadership skills? And, secondly, what thought processes and choices did they exercise in order to overcome obstacles in their development as leaders? As a matter of situating the study within current academic dialogue, research began with a review of pertinent literature.

       Identifying the Gaps

      An examination of sociological literature relevant to the topic of rural women in leadership¹ revealed several points of note. Much valuable sociological research has focused on rural women, particularly in the last fifteen years. Similarly, women’s participation in organizations and leadership has also benefited from sociological research. However, the intersection of those topics – rural women in leadership – has received considerably less academic attention. Further, the studies that do exist focus primarily on obstacles and barriers to rural women’s attainment