Building women's social citizenship: A five-point framework to conceptualise the work of women-specific services in rural Australia

This paper draws on research undertaken as part of a national study of rural women-specific services across Australia, completed in 2001. A detailed review and analysis of feminist citizenship theories was undertaken as part of the research, and a framework for conceptualising the contribution of rural women-specific services, comprising five components, was developed. The analysis and framework are described here, in the context of what is known about Australian rural women and service provision, and making use of general findings from the study. There are five components in the framework: recognition of women’s diversity; bridging the public-private divide; addressing women’s oppression; acknowledging women’s agency; and facilitating women’s active participation in social, political and community life. The framework is offered as a tool for conceptualising the work of women’s services or projects, as a basis for developing service standards, and to stimulate debate about the usefulness of such an approach.