Surveying Rural Resident's Attitude towards Rural Women's Abilities in Dehyari Executive Management Case Study: Palat Kaleh & Bala Papkyadeh Villages, Langroud

In Iran, rural areas had been always accounted for as tributaries to the government and as integrated by an administrator or a body of managers (called owners, supervisors, deputies, Kadkhoda). Following the revolution in Iran and due to political and socio-economic condition then, a law was passed in the parliament whereby the management of the rural affairs had to be shouldered by Rural Islamic Councils, and the villages were accounted for as government units at the lowest level of political hierarchy. After years since the enforcement of that law, due to the progress in way of management according to empowerment rural community and appearing several executive problems in rural management, in 1997 the parliament approved a new law as "establishment of self sufficient Dehyaries (rural executive managements) in all Iranian villages" whereby all of the executive affairs have shouldered by "Dehyar" (head of Dehyari) who is selected for 4 year period by Rural Islamic Council of the village. It seems changes over the last decades have led to a shift in traditional perception of women, shown by the number of them in the fields of education and employment; and naturally the rural women are not exceptions. Their past activities in management of Vareh as well as their presence now in rural executive management (Dehyar) approves the fact that this great human resource is getting more involved in public arenas. Formally, for the first time in the country, rural women participate in rural management through Islamic Rural Council. Based on the report of “Iran Municipalities and Rural Management Organization” (2010) in the second period of Dehyary elections (2007-2011) 548 women Dehyars out of 21681 total ones were selected and consequently 2.5% of total Dehyarys were managed by rural women.