<div data-canvas-width="529.2655333333335">The arrival of foreign immigrants has been considered as an opportunity to stop the depopulation and decline of some rural areas in Spain. Previous research has suggested that the ability of the rural environment to retain population depends both on the characteristics of the rural settlements and on the new residents’ profiles. In the context of the impact of the economic crisis of 2008, we explored the role played by rural places as a destination in the migratory strategies of foreign immigrants and the territorial and social factors that may favor their settlement.</div>
Many rural areas in Spain suffer an acute problem of depopulation. In recent years the arrival of foreign immigrant workers has contributed to alleviating the situation. The social services in rural areas play a fundamental role in the reception of these new residents, and in attending to their needs. These immigrants find themselves in a very vulnerable situation. Added to the needs of any family group with very limited resources are the terms of being a foreigner in an environment in which the coethnic support networks are very scarce. The capacity of both rural councils and local social services to promote the social integration of the immigrants is very limited due to the lack of resources, and to the difficulties associated with the provision of social services in depopulated rural areas. Through in-depth interviews, carried out in a mountainous depopulated region in northern Spain, we analyse the discourses of mayors, social workers and members of civil organizations. The conclusions suggest that the construction of welcoming communities requires reinforcing the community dimension of social work in rural areas, and from an ecological perspective that enhances social participation and coordination among the social actors. Specifically directed initiatives are needed by means of cooperation among the different levels of government and between public and private actors.
El artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación sobre empresarias rurales en España realizada en el año 2002, utilizando tanto fuentes estadísticas como trabajo de campo cualitativo. Uno de los objetivos de las actuales políticas de desarrollo rural es promover las iniciativas empresariales femeninas como una alternativa laboral para las mujeres de las áreas rurales. Este es un tema crucial en un contexto de alta masculinización rural, como es el español. Sin embargo, los datos estadísticos muestran que las empresarias rurales son mujeres maduras, que dirigen pequeños negocios de tipo familiar y que tienen un nivel de formación inferior al de las mujeres asalariadas. La investigación cualitativa, por su parte, sugiere que las responsabilidades y lealtades familiares están siempre presentes en su acceso al empresariado y en la gestión diaria de sus negocios. Se analiza así la doble naturaleza de los negocios familiares en el medio rural -como recurso laboral y como limitación para un desarrollo autónomo-, basándose en las teorías e investigaciones recientes sobre el empresariado femenino.
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