Democracy at the Margins: Rural Women’s Political Involvement and Rights in Santo Domingo, Ecuador

Democracia en los márgenes: Participación política y derechos de las mujeres rurales en Santo Domingo, Ecuador

Abstract

This paper examines the political participation of rural women in Ecuador, within the framework of constitutional rights, highlighting the gap between formal legal equality and its effective realization in contexts of structural inequality. Using a qualitative, descriptive–interpretative approach, the study was based on fieldwork conducted in two rural communities of Santo Domingo, where semi-structured interviews were applied to a convenience sample of 33 women participating in an empowerment program promoted by the local government. Data were analyzed through qualitative coding and thematic categorization. The findings reveal that women’s political participation is significantly constrained by structural barriers such as economic precariousness, the burden of unpaid care work, limited institutional presence, and restricted access to information. Additionally, a fragmented understanding of constitutional rights was identified, along with a predominance of participation at the community level and minimal involvement in formal decision-making spaces. Sociocultural factors, including entrenched gender roles, family power dynamics, and symbolic violence, further reinforce these limitations. The study concludes that addressing rural women’s political participation requires an integrated approach that combines legal, institutional, and sociocultural transformations, as well as the design of public policies with a territorial and gender-sensitive focus.

Keywords: Democracy; women’s participation; women in politics; participatory development. (Words taken from the UNESCO Thesaurus.)

Resumen

Este artículo examina la participación política de las mujeres rurales en Ecuador, en el marco de los derechos constitucionales, destacando la brecha entre la igualdad jurídica formal y su realización efectiva en contextos de desigualdad estructural. Mediante un enfoque cualitativo de carácter descriptivo–interpretativo, el estudio se sustentó en trabajo de campo realizado en dos comunidades rurales de Santo Domingo, donde se aplicaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a una muestra por conveniencia de 33 mujeres participantes en un programa de empoderamiento impulsado por el gobierno local. Los datos fueron analizados mediante codificación cualitativa y categorización temática. Los resultados evidencian que la participación política de las mujeres está significativamente limitada por barreras estructurales como la precariedad económica, la carga del trabajo de cuidados no remunerado, la débil presencia institucional y el acceso restringido a la información. Asimismo, se identificó una comprensión fragmentaria de los derechos constitucionales, junto con una participación predominantemente en el ámbito comunitario y una escasa inserción en espacios formales de toma de decisiones. Factores socioculturales, incluidos los roles de género arraigados, las dinámicas de poder familiares y la violencia simbólica, refuerzan estas limitaciones. El estudio concluye que abordar la participación política de las mujeres rurales requiere un enfoque integral que combine transformaciones jurídicas, institucionales y socioculturales, así como el diseño de políticas públicas con enfoque territorial y de género.

Palabras clave: Democracia; participación de las mujeres; mujeres en la política; desarrollo participativo. (Palabras tomadas del Tesauro de la UNESCO.)

Brigitte Villacrés-Malla3

Julio A. Alvarado-Vélez1*

e-ISSN 2550-6587

Vol. 11 Núm. (2) pp. 64-73. Enero-Junio 2026

Gardenia Vélez-Bravo2

https://doi.org/10.33936/rehuso.v11i2.8375

1Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador sede Santo Domingo (PUCESD), Ecuador

2Unidad Educativa Andrés F. Córdova, Dirección Distrital 08D04, Quinindé, Ecuador

3Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial, Quito, Ecuador

*Autor de correspondencia.

Citación de este artículo: Alvarado -Vélez, J.A, Vélez-Bravo, G. y Villacrés-Malla. B. (2026).Democracy at the Margins: Rural Women’s Political Involvement and Rights in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. ReHuSo, 11(2), 64-73. https://doi.org/10.33936/rehuso.v11i2.8375

Recepción: 09 de abril del 2026 Aceptación: 08 de junio del 2026

Publicación: 01 de julio del 2026

Este obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional

Introduction

The study of rural women’s political participation within the framework of constitutional rights is situated within the analysis of the constitutional state of rights and justice, where democracy extends beyond its formal dimension and requires substantive conditions of equality to ensure the effective exercise of citizenship (Albornoz-Arias et al., 2025; Han et al., 2025). From this perspective, political participation encompasses not only access to active and passive suffrage but also meaningful involvement in decision-making processes, representation in positions of power, and influence in the formulation of public policies (Zhang & Zong, 2025). In the case of rural women, this concept acquires complexity due to its intersection with factors such as territorial inequality, structural poverty, gender roles, and limited access to educational and technological resources (Franco-Patiño & Giraldo-Alzate, 2025).

Within the Ecuadorian constitutional framework, the 2008 Constitution explicitly recognizes the principles of equality and non-discrimination (art. 11), while also guaranteeing a broad range of participatory rights. These include the right of citizens to participate in matters of public interest, engage in decision-making processes, exercise social oversight, and be involved in the planning and management of public affairs (arts. 61 and 95). Furthermore, the Constitution adopts a substantive conception of equality by requiring the State to implement affirmative action measures in favor of groups experiencing structural disadvantages, including women and rural populations.

This rights-based and participatory framework seeks to promote the effective inclusion of historically marginalized sectors in democratic life (Arce-Chiriboga et al., 2024; Guerrero-Vela, 2024). However, the mere constitutional recognition of these rights does not guarantee their effective realization, particularly in territories where structural conditions hinder the full exercise of citizenship. This underscores the need to examine how these constitutional mandates are translated into practice—or remain unfulfilled—in specific local contexts.

Theoretical and empirical evidence demonstrates that women’s political participation has historically been constrained by sociocultural patterns that reproduce unequal power relations. Studies across Latin America indicate that, despite normative advances in gender parity and quota systems, significant barriers persist in accessing decision-making spaces, particularly in rural areas (Accossatto, 2021; Fienco Pita, 2026). These barriers include the disproportionate burden of unpaid domestic and care work, limited economic autonomy, gender-based political violence, and weak institutional presence in peripheral territories (Gómez, 2022). In Ecuador, recent research highlights that these challenges are intensified in rural settings, where geographic distance and limited state presence exacerbate conditions of exclusion (Alvarado-Vélez, 2025).

From an applied constitutional law perspective, this issue is particularly relevant as it calls into question the effectiveness of fundamental principles such as substantive equality, democratic participation, and human dignity (O’Reilly & Sheehan, 2025). The gap between the formal recognition of rights and their actual exercise represents a structural challenge for the State, which must design and implement public policies with both territorial and gender-sensitive approaches. In this regard, legal research must move beyond normative analysis and incorporate methodologies that capture the lived experiences of rural women and the social dynamics that shape their political participation (Gamarra-Amaya, 2025; Isea-Argüelles, 2026).

The need for this study is further justified by the limited number of investigations that comprehensively integrate constitutional analysis with empirical evidence in specific territories. While there is an extensive body of literature on women’s political participation and constitutional rights in abstract terms (Ernst et al., 2024), few studies examine how these rights are exercised in concrete rural contexts (Arce-Chiriboga et al., 2024; Fienco Pita, 2026), particularly in provinces such as Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. This lack of context-sensitive research constrains the development of legal and policy proposals that adequately respond to local realities, thereby perpetuating centralist approaches that fail to capture the country’s territorial diversity.

Regarding the current state of the problem, the literature review reveals a dual trend: on the one hand, the recognition of normative progress in gender equality and political participation (Chávez López, 2026), and on the other, the persistence of significant implementation gaps (Banegas Cedillo, 2023). Qualitative studies have documented that rural women face multiple forms of exclusion that restrict their capacity to influence public life, including limited access to information,

lack of support networks, and insufficient training in political leadership (Loezar-Hernández et al., 2025; Rivera Álvarez, 2026). Furthermore, institutions tasked with promoting citizen participation often fail to incorporate differentiated approaches that address the specific needs of rural women (Espinosa Ortega, 2023).

Additionally, recent research has emphasized the importance of adopting intersectionality as an analytical framework to better understand the situation of rural women (Amador Sierra et al., 2025; Dando, 2023). This perspective highlights how gender-based discrimination intersects with other forms of inequality, such as socioeconomic status, ethnic identity, and geographic location. In the case of Santo Domingo, characterized by cultural diversity and a distinct rural-urban dynamic, it is particularly relevant to analyze how these intersections shape both opportunities and constraints for women’s political participation. Nevertheless, the existing literature remains limited in addressing these territorial specificities from a constitutional legal perspective.

Within this context, the present study aims to examine the level of political participation of rural women in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, and to analyze its relationship with the effective exercise of constitutional rights by identifying the structural, institutional, and sociocultural factors that influence such participation. Furthermore, it seeks to understand the perceptions, experiences, and strategies of rural women regarding existing participation mechanisms, with the objective of generating empirical and theoretical insights that contribute to the strengthening of public policies and institutional practices aimed at ensuring inclusive, equitable political participation consistent with the principles of a constitutional state of rights and justice.

Methodology

This study was conducted under a qualitative research approach aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the experiences, perceptions, and social dynamics that shape the political participation of rural women in relation to the exercise of their constitutional rights. This approach proved appropriate as it enabled the analysis of the phenomenon from the perspective of the social actors themselves, privileging a contextualized interpretation of their discourses and practices. The methodological design was descriptive–interpretative and was grounded in fieldwork carried out in two rural localities of the Valle Hermoso parish (Cristóbal Colón and Valle Hermoso), located in the Santo Domingo Canton (Ecuador), territories that present relevant socioeconomic and cultural characteristics for the analysis of the research problem.

The study population consisted of rural women participating in the project “Strengthening Self-Esteem and Promoting Entrepreneurship among Women Victims of Domestic Violence,” implemented by the Social Department of the Prefecture of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. From this population, a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 33 participants was selected, based on criteria of accessibility, willingness to participate, and active involvement in the project (Manterola & Rivadeneira, 2025). This sampling strategy enabled access to a relevant group of women whose experiences provided valuable insights into the barriers and opportunities related to the exercise of their rights and their participation in public spaces.

The 33 participants represented a diverse group of rural women with varying socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. Their ages ranged from 22 to 67 years. Most participants reported being primarily responsible for unpaid domestic and caregiving work (n = 30), while many were also involved in small-scale agricultural activities (n = 23), informal commerce (n = 4), or entrepreneurship initiatives promoted through the project (n = 5). Educational attainment ranged from incomplete primary education to secondary-level studies, with only a small proportion of participants (n = 3) having accessed higher education. The majority self-identified as mestiza (n = 32), reflecting the demographic composition of the study area. These sociodemographic characteristics provided a diverse range of perspectives and experiences, enriching the analysis of the factors influencing rural women’s political participation and the exercise of their constitutional rights.

Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, designed using a flexible interview guide that allowed for the exploration of predefined categories as well as the incorporation of emergent themes during the interaction with participants. The interviews were conducted face-to-face in the selected territories, ensuring conditions of confidentiality, informed consent, and respect for the dignity of participants. The data were recorded through audio devices and subsequently transcribed in full, preserving the richness of participants’ narratives and facilitating systematic analysis.

Data analysis was carried out through a rigorous qualitative coding process involving the identification, segmentation, and systematic labeling of units of meaning within participants’ narratives. In the initial phase, a comprehensive and iterative reading of the transcripts was conducted, enabling an inductive approach to data and the generation of preliminary codes. To support this process, ChatGPT was used as a technical tool to assist in organizing and systematizing the textual corpus, facilitating the preliminary identification of discourse patterns, the suggestion of potential conceptual labels, and the initial structuring of the data, without replacing the analytical judgment of the research team (Abdullahi et al., 2026).

The use of this artificial intelligence tool was therefore framed as instrumental and complementary, aimed at enhancing analytical efficiency and enriching data exploration, particularly during the open coding phase (Zhang et al., 2025). Outputs generated by the tool were subjected to a process of critical validation by the research team, who compared, refined, and adjusted the proposed codes considering the empirical context, research objectives, and theoretical framework. This ensured methodological coherence, interpretative validity, and analytical traceability throughout the process.

Subsequently, the validated codes were organized through axial coding, allowing for the identification of relationships among categories, subcategories, and emerging dimensions. This process led to the development of robust thematic categories aligned with the research problem and capable of capturing the complex dynamics underlying rural women’s political participation. The integration of technological support with critical human analysis contributed to greater systematic rigor in the treatment of qualitative data.

As a result, the analytical process enabled the identification of recurring patterns, significant divergences, and structural tensions within participants’ narratives, providing a comprehensive and contextually grounded understanding of the phenomenon under study. The controlled and critically validated use of ChatGPT constituted an innovative methodological resource that enhanced the transparency, consistency, and interpretative depth of the qualitative analysis, without compromising the standards of scientific rigor inherent to legal and social research (Khizar et al., 2025).

Results

3.1. Structural Barriers to the Political Participation of Rural Women

The findings revealed that structural barriers constitute a decisive factor in the limited political participation of rural women in the localities of Cristóbal Colón and Valle Hermoso. In particular, adverse socioeconomic conditions—characterized by unstable income and economic dependency—significantly restrict their ability to engage in community activities and decision-making spaces. Several participants indicated that their daily priorities revolve around family subsistence, which reduces the time available for political participation. As one interviewee stated: “Sometimes you want to attend meetings, but you can’t because you have to work or take care of the children—otherwise, who will do it?”. This testimony illustrates how economic precariousness intersects with care responsibilities, constituting a structural limitation on the exercise of rights.

Additionally, the disproportionate burden of domestic and care work emerged as a persistent barrier affecting rural women. Participants described extensive daily routines that combine productive and reproductive labor, with little or no equitable distribution of responsibilities within the household. This condition restricts not only their time but also their energy and willingness to engage in political or community processes. One participant expressed: “You end up exhausted, working from morning until night, and there’s no energy left to attend meetings or get involved in those things”. From an analytical perspective, these findings highlight the persistence of gendered structures that assign traditional roles to women, thereby limiting their autonomy and participation in the public sphere.

Another relevant factor identified was the limited institutional presence in rural areas, which results in weak promotion of participatory spaces and insufficient dissemination of mechanisms for exercising rights. Participants reported that they often receive little or no information about participatory processes or decision-making instances, reducing their opportunities for involvement. As one woman noted: “They rarely come here to inform us; you either find out too late or not at all”. This institutional deficit not only restricts access to information but also reinforces dynamics of exclusion and disconnection between the State and rural communities.

Furthermore, the lack of access to education and training in leadership and political participation was identified as a significant structural barrier. Although some participants were involved in empowerment initiatives such as the project under study, they indicated that historically they had limited opportunities for training in these areas. This gap affects their self-perception of capabilities and their willingness to assume leadership roles. As one participant stated: “Sometimes you feel like you don’t know enough to participate or speak in public, so you just stay quiet”. This testimony reflects how educational limitations translate into insecurity and self-exclusion, reinforcing low levels of political participation.

Overall, the results demonstrate that these structural barriers do not operate in isolation but rather interact and reinforce one another, creating a complex scenario of exclusion. The combination of economic, territorial, institutional, and sociocultural factors generates an environment that hinders the effective exercise of constitutional participation rights. From an analytical standpoint, this interconnection underscores the need to address the issue through a comprehensive approach that moves beyond fragmented interventions.

3.2. Perceptions and Knowledge of Constitutional Rights

The findings indicate that rural women’s level of knowledge regarding their constitutional rights is heterogeneous and generally limited, particularly in relation to political participation, equality, and non-discrimination. While some participants reported having heard about their rights in institutional or community settings, their understanding tends to be fragmented and unsystematic. One participant noted: “I’ve heard that we have rights, but I don’t really know what they are or how to make use of them”. This type of response reflects a gap between abstract recognition and practical understanding, which directly affects women’s capacity to exercise their rights effectively.

It was also observed that the primary sources of information on constitutional rights are social programs, community workshops, and, to a lesser extent, public institutions. The empowerment project in which participants were involved was identified as a key space for acquiring basic knowledge about rights. As one interviewee stated: “In the workshops, they explained that we have the right to participate and express our opinions; I didn’t know that before”. Analytically, these findings highlight the importance of targeted institutional interventions in rural areas, while also revealing a dependence on such initiatives, which points to the absence of sustained and comprehensive public policies on civic education.

Moreover, a significant limitation identified was the lack of knowledge regarding concrete mechanisms for exercising constitutional rights. Participants expressed difficulties in identifying participation channels, institutional procedures, or relevant authorities to approach in cases of rights violations. One woman stated: “We don’t know where to go or who to talk to when we want to participate or make a complaint”. This lack of procedural knowledge not only limits the exercise of rights but also contributes to a perception of distance from the State and its institutions, reinforcing dynamics of exclusion and mistrust.

Finally, the level of appropriation of constitutional rights was found to be closely linked to factors such as formal education, prior experience in organizational settings, and participation in training programs. Women with greater exposure to such processes demonstrated higher levels of confidence in recognizing and exercising their rights. As one participant expressed: “Now I know I can speak up and that my voice matters; before, I thought that was only for other people”. This testimony illustrates that knowledge of rights has not only an informational dimension but also a subjective one, contributing to the strengthening of self-esteem and agency—key elements for participation in public life.

3.3. Experiences of Participation in Community and Political Spaces

The findings revealed that rural women’s participation in community and political spaces primarily occurs at the local level, such as neighborhood associations, entrepreneurship groups, and community organizations, rather than in formal structures of political representation. Participants indicated that their involvement is often linked to community development initiatives, project management, or mutual support activities. As one interviewee stated: “I participate in the women’s group in my neighborhood; we organize activities and try to support each other”. While this form of participation is significant, it tends to remain at the micro-social level, limiting its impact on broader decision-making processes.

Participation in electoral processes was found to be largely passive, restricted to voting, without active engagement in campaigns, political deliberation, or candidacy for public office. Several participants expressed a lack of motivation or preparedness to assume representative roles. One woman noted: “You vote because it’s mandatory, but you don’t get involved beyond that—that’s for people who understand politics”. This perception reflects the construction of politics as a distant and specialized domain, contributing to the self-exclusion of rural women from formal political representation.

At the same time, emerging experiences of female leadership were identified, particularly within the framework of the empowerment project. Some participants reported taking on organizational roles, facilitating meetings, coordinating activities, or representing their groups before local institutions. As one participant stated: “I used to stay silent, but now I feel confident enough to lead meetings and express my opinion”. These findings suggest processes of gradual empowerment, where participation in supportive environments fosters leadership skills and self-confidence.

However, limitations and experiences of exclusion were also evident, especially in spaces dominated by traditional power structures. Some women reported that their opinions are not always valued or that they face dismissive attitudes from male counterparts. One participant remarked: “Sometimes you speak and no one listens, as if they think we don’t know anything”. These experiences reveal the persistence of gender inequalities in community and political spaces, which constrain effective participation and limit women’s capacity to influence decision-making processes.

3.4. Sociocultural and Gender Factors Influencing Participation

The findings demonstrate that sociocultural and gender-related factors play a decisive role in shaping rural women’s political participation, functioning as symbolic structures that condition their engagement in the public sphere. In particular, the persistence of traditional gender roles was identified, assigning women primary responsibility for domestic and caregiving tasks, thereby limiting their availability for community and political involvement. One participant stated: “Here, people still believe that women should stay at home, take care of the children, and attend to their husbands”. This representation reflects deeply rooted cultural norms that constrain women’s autonomy and reproduce structural inequalities in the exercise of rights.

Furthermore, internalized social norms were found to influence women’s self-perception regarding their ability to participate in political processes. Many participants expressed feelings of insecurity, fear of social judgment, and a perceived lack of legitimacy to speak in public spaces. As one woman explained: “Sometimes you limit yourself because you think you don’t know enough or that you’ll embarrass yourself if you speak”. These findings highlight how socialization processes reinforce symbolic subordination, generating mechanisms of self-exclusion even in the absence of formal barriers.

Family dynamics also emerged as a critical factor influencing participation, particularly in terms of control or disapproval by partners or other household members. Some participants indicated that their involvement in community or political activities depends on the approval or support of their partners. One interviewee noted: “If my husband doesn’t agree, I’d rather not go because it creates problems at home”. This testimony reveals power relations within the household that condition the exercise of rights and limit women’s autonomy in decision-making.

Finally, manifestations of symbolic and political violence were identified as factors affecting rural women’s participation. These include forms of devaluation, invisibilization, and delegitimization of women’s voices in community spaces, as well as discriminatory attitudes rooted in gender stereotypes. One participant reported: “Sometimes they make fun of us or say that women don’t understand politics—that it’s a man’s thing”. Such practices not only restrict effective participation but also reinforce structures of exclusion and inequality, highlighting the need to address political participation through an approach that integrates cultural, social, and gender dimensions.

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Discussion

The results reveal a strong alignment between the empirical findings and the theoretical frameworks that approach women’s political participation from an intersectional and territorial perspective. Specifically, the structural barriers identified—economic, educational, and institutional—corroborate the specialized literature highlighting the persistence of material inequalities that constrain the effective exercise of constitutional rights (Espinosa Ortega, 2023;

Fienco Pita, 2026). In this regard, the findings from the localities of Cristóbal Colón and Valle Hermoso reinforce the argument that formal equality, as enshrined in the Ecuadorian Constitution, does not automatically translate into substantive equality, particularly in rural contexts marked by structural vulnerability.

With respect to the knowledge and appropriation of constitutional rights, the findings demonstrate a significant gap between the abstract recognition of rights and their practical exercise, consistent with studies that underscore the limitations of civic education in rural settings (Guzmán Bravo & Zambrano, 2023; Nentwich et al., 2026; O’Reilly & Sheehan, 2025). Although participants demonstrated a general awareness of the existence of constitutional rights, their understanding of the mechanisms, institutions, and procedures required to claim and enforce those rights remained limited. This disconnect suggests that the mere legal recognition of rights is insufficient to ensure their practical realization, particularly among populations facing structural and territorial disadvantages.

Furthermore, the reliance on specific initiatives—such as the self-esteem and entrepreneurship strengthening program analyzed in this study—as primary sources of information and empowerment highlights the absence of sustained and comprehensive public policies aimed at promoting citizenship education through a gender-sensitive and territorially responsive approach. In the absence of institutionalized educational strategies, access to knowledge about rights becomes contingent upon participation in isolated projects, thereby generating unequal opportunities for civic empowerment. Consequently, this situation not only restricts access to legal and political information but also weakens the agency of rural women, limiting their capacity to engage effectively in public affairs, advocate for their interests, and influence decision-making processes. Ultimately, these dynamics contribute to the reproduction of institutional exclusion, reinforce perceptions of distance from state institutions, and hinder the consolidation of a more inclusive and participatory democratic culture in rural areas.

Moreover, the experiences of participation highlight a tension between community-based forms of engagement and the limited presence of rural women in formal political representation. This finding aligns with existing literature distinguishing between social participation and institutional political participation, which indicates that women—particularly in rural contexts—tend to engage more actively in community spaces than in formal power structures (Chávez López, 2026; Franco-Patiño & Giraldo-Alzate, 2025). Nevertheless, the results also point to emerging processes of empowerment, suggesting that participation at the local level may serve as a foundation for the gradual development of political leadership, provided that supportive institutional and sociocultural conditions are in place (Alvarado-Vélez et al., 2024).

Finally, the sociocultural and gender-related factors identified in this study confirm the persistence of symbolic structures that reproduce female subordination and constrain political participation. The internalization of traditional roles, family-based control dynamics, and manifestations of symbolic violence demonstrate that the barriers faced by rural women are not solely material but also cultural and relational. In this sense, the findings engage with theoretical approaches that argue that transforming women’s political participation requires not only normative reforms but also profound changes in the social and cultural structures that shape gender relations in rural contexts (Ernst et al., 2024; Jiang et al., 2023).

Conclusions

The conclusions of this study indicate that the political participation of rural women in Santo Domingo is shaped by a complex interplay of structural, institutional, and sociocultural factors that constrain the effective exercise of their constitutional rights. Despite the formal recognition of equality and participation within the Ecuadorian constitutional framework, the findings reveal persistent gaps between the legal guarantee of these rights and their realization in rural contexts, where conditions of vulnerability disproportionately affect women.

In this regard, it was found that structural barriers—such as economic precariousness, the burden of unpaid domestic and care work, and limited institutional presence—directly restrict opportunities for political participation. These constraints do not operate in isolation; rather, they interact and reinforce one another, creating a scenario of exclusion that hinders rural women’s integration into decision-making spaces. This finding underscores the need to rethink public policies through a comprehensive approach that integrates economic, social, and territorial dimensions.

The study also demonstrated that rural women’s knowledge and appropriation of constitutional rights remain insufficient and fragmented, which undermines their capacity to exercise such rights effectively. The reliance on specific programs for access to legal information points to a structural weakness in civic education, limiting the development of active and participatory citizenship. Nevertheless, the identification of emerging empowerment processes linked to training initiatives suggests that capacity-building efforts can positively influence political participation.

Furthermore, the participation experiences analyzed reveal that, although rural women are actively engaged in community-level spaces, their presence in formal structures of political representation remains limited. This situation is exacerbated by the persistence of sociocultural and gender-related factors that reproduce traditional roles, foster insecurity in self-perceived capacities, and condition participation on family power dynamics. Consequently, rural women’s political participation cannot be understood solely from an institutional perspective but requires an approach that incorporates the cultural and symbolic dimensions shaping gender relations.

Finally, future research should further explore rural women’s political participation through comparative and longitudinal approaches, allowing for the identification of territorial variations and changes over time. It is also advisable to incorporate mixed-methods designs that complement qualitative evidence with quantitative data, as well as to broaden the range of actors analyzed, including public institutions and civil society organizations. Such lines of inquiry will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and provide more robust inputs for the design of public policies aimed at ensuring effective, inclusive, and gender-responsive political participation in rural contexts.

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