Using Q-methodology to identify rural women’s viewpoint on succession of family farms

•Q-methodology was used to identify rural women’s viewpoint on succession of family farms.•We identified factors that may favor women on succession of family farms.•Five viewpoints exist: rural attractiveness, family support, recognition, working and living conditions, and financial autonomy.•Economic and non-economic factors influence women in succession process. In the world, the majority of farms are family-based. However, migration of young people from rural to urban areas, and a lack of farm successors negatively impact on the continuity of family farming. The pattern of migration is unbalanced in terms of gender: women are more likely to leave rural areas than men, which has negative consequences for rural development. The objective of this study was to identify rural women’s viewpoint about the elements that would facilitate them to eventually take over the family farm. Q-methodology was used to identify rural women’s viewpoints. Data were collected individually from 28 women, face-to-face with each woman, using a transportable board game to enable friendlier dynamics. Our findings showed five women’s viewpoints: rural attractiveness, family support, recognition, working and living conditions, and financial autonomy. The identification of these different viewpoints could provide insights that can be used to design public and private interventions aimed to favor female heirs to take over the family farm.