Brake Shoes, Backhoes, & Balance Sheets. The Changing Vocational Education of Rural Women

Five papers deal with special problems of vocational education for women and girls in rural and nonmetropolitan school districts. An introductory paper puts vocational education for women into a historical perspective, addresses current status of rural women, and depicts them four years after enactment of the most recent vocational education amendments which first included sex equity as a goal. The second paper focuses on self-employed women and female entrepreneurship development. It provides a statistical perspective on nonmetropolitan women in the labor market and detailed information on women-owned firms in New England. The third paper describes the different roles that farmwomen play in farming operations. Present employment of rural women who have left the farm is also considered. The fourth paper draws on interviews in rural Vermont and New Hampshire schools to discuss factors affecting women's enrollment in nontraditional programs and their job opportunities. The fifth paper outlines several major pieces of federal legislation that could be used to increase vocational education opportunities for rural women and girls. Specific goals or objectives to increase women's opportunities are then identified, and federal legislative and policy options for reaching these goals effectively are suggested. (YLB)