Empoderamento de mulheres do campo

Research into women’s participation in rural tourism is essential: the topic is scarcely touched upon in academia and is likewise figures scarcely on the horizons of economic and political agents in Brazil. In this context, this study aims to: a) research the profile of women entrepreneurs and their rural tourism enterprises in the region of Toledo, in the state of Paraná, in Brazil; b) understand how these enterprises contribute to the empowerment of women and the generation of increased income for these rural families. This research presents a qualitative approach and descriptive method and researched 23 rural tourism entrepreneurs from seven municipalities in the region of Toledo, in the state of Paraná, with data collection via interviews. The results demonstrate that in rural tourism women can play an active role, assuming professional management and leadership roles that impact the empowerment of these women, both economically and socially, in addition to helping with the income of the families involved. It is concluded, therefore, that despite gender disparities, women have essential attributes to boost the growth of rural tourism enterprises, in addition to contributing significantly to the strengthening of the local and family economy, with tourism a form of rural women’s empowerment